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NUT CULTURIST 

A TREATISB 

ON THE 

PROPAGATION, PLANTING AND CULTIVATION 
OF NUT-BEARING TREES AND SHRUBS 



ADAPTED TO THE 



CLIMATE OF THE UNITED STATES, 

WITH THE SCIENTIFIC AND COMMON NAMES OF 

^HK KRUITS KNOWN 

IN COMMERCE AS EDIBLE OR OTHERWISE USEFUL NUTS 



By ANDRKW S. KUIvIvE:r, 

Author of the "Grape Culturist" '•'■Small Fruit Ciilturist" '■'■Practical Forestry,' 
'■'■Propagation of Plants" etc., etc. 



ILLUSTRATED 



i^^U^ p'-' 



'SWsX YORK 

ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 
1896 



h^- 



6^^°' 



,\ 



Copyright, 1896, 
BY ORANGE JUDD COMPAKT 



PREFACE 



Believing that the time is opportune for making an 
effort to cultivate all kinds of edible and otherwise use- 
ful nut-bearing trees and shrubs adapted to the soil and 
climate of the United States, thereby inaugurating a 
great, permanent and far-reaching industry, the follow- 
ing pages have been penned, and with the hope of en- 
couraging and aiding the farmer to increase his income 
and enjoyments, without, to any appreciable extent, 
adding to his expenses or labors. With this idea in 
mind, I have not advised the general planting of nut 
orchards on land adapted to the production of grain and 
other indispensable farm crops, but mainly as roadside 
trees and where desired for shade, shelter and ornament, 
being confident that when all such positions are occupied 
with choice nut-bearing trees, to the exclusion of those 
yielding nothing of intrinsic value, there will have 
been added many millions of dollars to the wealth of 
the country, as well as a vast store of edible and deli- 
cious food. 

This work has not been written for the edification, 
or the special approbation, of scientific botanists, but for 
those who, in the opinion of the writer, are most likely 
to profit by a treatise of this kind. Unfamiliar terms 
have been omitted wherever simple common words 
would answer equally as well in conveying the intended 
information. There being no work of this kind pub- 
lished in this country that would serve as a guide, I 
have been compelled to formulate a plan of my own, 

iii 



iy PREFACE. 

and to describe all the newer varieties from the- best 
specimens obtainable, and these may not, in all cases, 
have been perfect. Under snch circumstances, this 
work must necessarily be incomplete, and especially 
where the possessors of claimed-to-be new and valuable 
varieties have either refused or failed to give any infor- 
mation in regard to them-.- -On- the contrary, however, 
I must acknowledge my indebtedness to many corre- 
spondents, who have so generously placed specimens of 
both trees and nuts of rare new varieties in my hands 
for testing and describing, as well as assisting me in 
tracing their history and origin. 

That this treatise may become the pioneer of many 
other and better works on nut culture is the sincere 

wish of 

THE AUTHOR. 

RiDGEWooD, iST. J., 1896. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 
CHAPTER I. 
INTRODUCTION, . . . . ,. .. . . . 1 

CH^VPTER 11, 

The Almond, ....... 12 

CHAPTER III. 
The Beechnut, . . . . . . . . 44 

CHAPTER IV. 
Castanopsis, . . . . . . ... 55 

CHAPTER V. 
The Chestnut, . . . . ... 60 

CHAPTER yi. . 
Filbert or Hazelnut, . . . . . . 118 

CHAPTER YII. 

Hickory NUTS, . . . . . . . . 147 

CHAPTER VIII. 
THE WALNUT, . . . . . . . . 203 

CHAPTER IX. 

Miscellaneous Nuts— Edible and. Otherwise, . . 254 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Fig. 

1. A California almond orchard, 

2. Budding knife, 

3. Yankee budding knife, 

4. Prepared shoot, 

5. Incision for bud, 

6. Bud in position, 

7. Hard-shelled almond, . 

8. Thin-shelled almond, 

9. Beechnut leaf, bur and nut, . 

10. Leaves and nut of Castanopsis chrysophylla 

11. Castanopsis bur, 

12. Chestnut flowers, 

13. Splice graft, 

14. Splice graft inserted, 

15. Stock, .... 

16. Cion, .... 

17. Two cions inserted, 

18. One cion inserted, . 

19. American chestnut leaf, 

20. Spike of burs of bvish chinquapin {Castanea nana) 

21. Spike of chinquapin chestnut bur (C. pumila), . 

22. f^ingle bur, init and leaf of chinquapin chestnut {C. pumila) 

23. Japan chestnut leaf, ..... 

24. Burs of Fuller's chinquapin (one-half natural size) 

25. Fuller's chinquapin, five years old from nut, . 

26. Bur of Numbo chestnut, 

27. Spines of Numbo chestnut, . 

28. Numbo chestnut, 

29. Paragon chestnut bur (one-half natural size), 

30. Spines of Paragon chestnut bur, 

31. Paragon chestnut, 

32. Four-year-old Paragon chestnut tree 

33. Open bur of the Ridgely chestnut, 

34. Japan Giant chestnut, 

35. Spines of Japan chestnut, 

36. Chestnut weevil, 

37. Large filbert, .... 

38. Large seedling hazelnut, . 
.^9. Constantinople hazel, .... 
•10. English filbert orchard, five years from seed 
41. Varieties of filberts and hazel seedlings, 

vi 



LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS. 



Vll 



Fig. 
42. 
43. 
44. 

45. 
46. 
47. 
48. 
49. 
50. 
51. 
52. 
53. 
54. 
55. 
56. 
57. 
58. 
59. 
60. 
61. 
62. 
63. 
64. 
65. 
66. 
07. 



90. 
91. 
92. 



Extra large hazel seedling or round English filbert 

Filbert orchard struck with blight, fifth year from seed 

Hazel fungus, . . . , 

Fourteen-y ears-old pecan tree in Mississippi 

Leaf and sterile catkins of shellbark hickorj 

Western shellbark, 

Section Western shellbark. 

Leaf of pignut, .... 

Bitternut branch and leaf, 

Bitternut, ..... 

Large, long pecan nut, 

Oval pecan nut, .... 

Small oval pecan nut, 

Little Mobile pecan nut, 

Stuart pecan nut, .... 

Van Denian pecan nut, 

Risien pecan nut, . . . , 

Lady Finger pecan nut, 

The original Hales' Paper-shell hickory tree 

Hales' hickory, .... 

Section of Hales' hickory. 

Long shellbark hickory, 

Shellbark Missouri, .... 

Long Western shellbark, 

Fresh Niissbaumer hybrid, 

Nussbaumer's hybrid, . 

Crown grafting on roots of the hickory 

Sprouts from severed hickory roots, 

The hickory-twig girdler, . 

Hickory borer, .... 

Burrows of hickory scolytus, 

Persian walnut, showing position of sexual organs. 

Bearing branch of English walnut, 

Seedling walnut. 

Flute bxidding, .... 

Flowering branch of hybrid walnut, 

Hybrid walnut, .... 

Hybrid walnut, shell removed, 

Jnglans Sieboldiana raceme, 

Black walnut in husk, . 

Juglans nigra, husk removed, . 

Juglans Californica. 

Juglani rupestris, showing small kernel 

Juglans Sieboldiana, . 

Juglans cordiforaiis. 

Small fruited walniit, . 

Barthere walnut, . . . • 

Chaberte walnut, 

Chile wnlnut, . . . . • 

Cut-leaved walnut, 

Gibboiis walnut, . . . • 

Mayette walnut, 



Page. 
136 
137 
141 
154 
156 
158 
158 
161 
163 
164 
166 
166 
167 
167 



169 
169 
171 
172 
172 
173 
173 
174 
175 
176 
189 
190 
196 
198 
200 
204 
205 
216 
220 
228 
230 
230 
231 
232 
233 
235 
235 
238 
23J 
240 
242 
242 
242 
243 



245 



Vlll 



THE iftrt CULTUBIST. 



•Tig 
94. 


Kernel of walnut, . . . . . . 


Page. 
245 


95. 


Jiiglans regia octogona, , 


245 


96. 


Cross section, . . . . . . . 


245 


97. 


Parisienne walnut, . . . . . 


246 


98. 


Serotina or St. John walnut, .... 


247 


99. 


The caterpillar of the regal walnut moth. 


252 


100. 


The regal walnut moth— Citheronia regalis, 


252 


101. 


Brazil nut, . . . . . . . 


258 


102. 


The cashew nut, . . . . 


260 


103. 


Litchi or Leechee nut, ...... 


. . 270 


104. 


Branch of nut pine, . . , . - . . 


277 


105. 


Paradise or sapucaia nut. 


279 


106. 


Souari nut, ....... 


281 


ao7. 


Water chestnut, . . . . 


283 



CHAPTEE I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

No special amount of prophetic acumen is required 
to foresee that the time will soon come when the people 
of this country must necessarily place a much higher 
value upon all kinds of food than they do at present, or 
have done in the past. In this we are pre-supposing 
that in the natural course of events, our population will 
cont?nue to increase in nearly the same ratio it has since 
we assumed the responsibilities of an independent nation. 

The very existence of animal life on this planet de- 
pends upon the quantity and quality of available food, 
and while some sentimentalists may assume to ignore 
and even attempt to deprecate the animal desires of 
their race, nature compels us to recognize the fact that 
there can be no fire without fuel, and the great and use- 
ful intellectual powers of man are the emanations of the 
animal tissues of a well-nourished brain. The brawny 
arm that rends the rock and hurls the fragments aside, 
gets its power through the same channel and from the 
same source as those of other members of society, what- 
ever the nature of their calling ; for mankind is built 
upon one universal and general |)lan, varied though it 
may be in some of the minor details of construction. 
We certainly have no cause to fear that the theories of 
Malthus, in regard to the overpopulation of the earth 
as a whole, will ever be verified in the experience of the 
human race, because with necessity comes industry, also 
the inventions of devices to enable us to avoid just such 
dangers, and if these fail to keep pace with our wants 

1 



2 THE i^UT CULTURIST, 

and needs, wars, earthquakes, drouths, floods, and conta- 
gious, epidemic and other diseases, become the weapons 
which nature employs to prevent overpopulation. But 
we cannot deny that nature does sometimes encourage or 
permit a somewhat redundant population in certain 
favorable countries and localities, and then follows a 
struggle for existence, and food becomes the paramount 
object in life. To ward off danger of this kind and 
keep the supply in excess of the demand, is a problem 
which should seriously engage the attention of every 
one who takes the least interest in the general welfare of 
his countrymen, even though the day of want or scarcity 
of food may be very far distant. 

Among the various sources of acceptable and nutri- 
tions food products heretofore ahnost entirely neglected 
in this country, the edible nuts stand preeminently and 
conspicuously in the foreground, awaiting the skill 
and attention of all who seek pleasure and profit — 
to be derived from the products of the soil. For many 
centuries these nuts have held a prominent position 
among the desirable and valuable food products of vaii- 
ous Euroj^ean and Oriental countries ; not only because 
they were important and almost indispensable in making 
up the household supplies of all classes of the people, 
but often because available for tilling a depleted purse, 
and the thing needful for this purpose has, in the main, 
been received from far-distant nations, who through in- 
difference and neglect failed to provide themselves with 
such a simple and valuable article as the edible nuts. 

Much as we may boast of our immense natural re- 
sources and advantages, we have not, as yet, availed our- 
selves of one-half of those we possess, and the remainder 
is still awaiting our attention. We also neglect to avail 
ourselves of the many superior domestic traits and prac- 
tices of the foreign nations with whom we are in con- 
stant communication. It may be that the absence of 



INTRODUCTION. 3 

incentives has made us careless and indifferent in regard 
to a day of need, which in all probability will come to 
us sooner or later ; but whatever the cause, the fact re- 
mains that we have been spending millions annually on 
worthless articles and sentimental problems and projects, 
which have brought us neither riches nor honor ; in 
truth, to use a homely phrase, we have been following 
the bellwether in nearly all of our rural affairs and pur- 
suits. As a natural result we are spending millions for 
imported articles of everyday use which might easily 
and with large profit be produced at home, and in many 
instances the most humiliating part of the transaction is 
that we send our money to people who do not purchase 
any of our productions and almost ignore us in commer- 
cial matters. I am not referring to those products ill- 
adapted to our climate, nor to those which, owing to 
scarcity and high pi'ice of labor, we are unable to produce 
profitably, but to such nuts as the almond, walnut and 
chestnut, which we can raise as readily as peaches, 
apples and pears. There certainly can be no excuse for 
the neglect of such nut trees on the score of cost of 
labor in propagation and planting, because our streets 
and highways are lined and shaded with equally as ex- 
pensive kinds, although they are absolutely worthless 
for any other purpose than shade or shelter, yielding 
nothing in the way of food for either man or beast. 
Can any one invent a reasonable excuse for planting 
miles and miles of roadside trees of such kinds as elm, 
maj)le, ash, willow, cotton wood, and a hundred other 
similar kinds, where shellbark hickory, chestnut, wal- 
nut, pecan and butternut would thrive just as well, 
cost no more, and yet yield bushels of delicious and 
highly prized nuts, and this annually or in alternate 
years, continuing and increasing in productiveness for 
one, two or more centuries. Aside from the intrinsic 
value of such trees, they are, in the way of ornament. 



4 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

just as beautiful as, and in many instances much superior 
to those yielding nothing in the way of foo'l except, per- 
haps, something for noxious insects. 

I am not attempting to pose as the one wise man 
engaged in rural affairs, but am merely recounting my per- 
sonal observation and experience, having in my younger 
days taken the advice of my elders^ and at a time when 
a hint of the future value of nut trees would have been 
worth more than a paid-up life insurance policy. But 
as the hint was not given, I selected for roadside trees 
ash, maples, tulip, magnolias, and other popular kinds, 
all of which thrived, and by the time they were twenty 
years old began to be admired for their beauty, although 
their roots were spreading into the adjoining field, rob- 
bing the soil of the nutriment required for less vigorous- 
growing i^lants. Later, however, the discovery was 
made that I was paying very dearly for a crop of leaves 
and sentiment, neither of which was salable or avail- 
able for filling one's purse. When thirty years of age 
the very best of my roadside trees were probably worth 
two dollars each for firewood, or one dollar more than 
the nurseryman's price at the time of planting. The 
greater part of these trees, however, have since been cre- 
mated, a few being left as reminders of the misdirected 
labors of youth and inexperience. 

In this matter of following a leader in tree-planting 
along the highways, it appears to be a predominant trait 
of our rural population and as old as the settlement of 
this country, for nowhere is it more pronounced than in 
the New England States, ' where the American elms 
attracted the attention of the Pilgrims and their con- 
temporaries and descendants, and even continued down 
to the present day, No one will deny that the 
American elm is a noble tree in appearance, is easily 
transplanted and of rapid growth, and yet it is one of 
the most worthless for any eaonomic purpose. It may 



IN"TRODUCTIOJT. 5 

be that its worthlessness for other purposes made it all 
the more acceptable for streets and roadsides, the better 
kinds being reserved for firewood, fencing, furniture, 
and the manufacture of agricultural and other imple- 
ments. But whatever the cause or object, the elm be- 
came the one tree generally selected for planting in 
parks, villages, cities, and along roadsides in the coun- 
try, not only in the older but in many of the newer 
States. From present indications, however, the glory 
of this much over -praised tree is on the wane, for the 
imported elm-leaf beetle {Galeriica calmarieyisis) is 
slowly but surely spreading over the country, defoliating 
the elms of all species and varieties, and it is a question 
whether we should bless this insect for the work it is 
doing or look upon it as a pest. Perhaps future genera- 
tions will sing paeons in its praise, and they certainly 
will have reasons for rejoicing if better and more useful 
kinds are planted in the places now occupied by the 
worthless elms. 

In other localities some pioneer or leader in road- 
side ornamentation selected or recommended some spe- 
cies of maple, linden, catalpa, poplar or willow, but it 
made little or no difference as to kind, because, as a rule, 
all his neighbors followed without a thought or question 
in regard to adaptation to soil, climate, or fitness in the 
local or surrounding scenery, or of its future economic 
value. The result of this want of taste and forethought 
may be seen in whatever direction one travels through- 
out the older and more thickly settled portions of this 
country. 

Had the early settlers of the New England States 
planted shellbark hickories, or even the native chestnut, 
in place of the American elm, they would not only have 
had equally as beautiful trees for shade and ornament, 
but the nutritious nuts would scarcely have failed to bring 
bright cheer to many a housrehold and money to fill oft- 



6 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

depleted purses, while their descendants would have 
blessed them for their forethought. Of course there are 
other valuable kinds of nuts which thrive over the 
greater part of the New England States, but I refer only 
to the two, which were so abundant in the forests that 
one or both could have been obtained for the mere cost 
of transplanting. But it is not fair to prate about the 
remissness and follies of our ancestors, unless we can 
show by our works that wisdom has come down to us 
through their experience. 

What is true of the New England is equally true of 
all the older States, and is rapidly becoming so in many 
of the newer, little attention being paid to the intrinsic 
value of the wood or the product of the trees planted 
along the highways. There are also millions of acres of 
wild lands not suitable for cultivation, but well adapted 
to the growth of trees, whether of the nut-bearing or 
other kinds. But for the present I will omit further 
reference to the planting of nut trees except on the line 
of the highways, just where other kinds have long been 
in vogue and are still being cultivated for shade and 
ornament, — with no thought, perhaps, on the part of 
the planter, that both could be obtained in the nut trees, 
with something of more intrinsic value added. The nut 
trees which grow to a large size are as wtII adapted for 
planting along roadsides, in the open country, as other 
kinds that yield nothing in the way of food for either 
man or beast. They are also fully as beautiful in form 
and foliage, and in many instances far superior, to the 
kinds often selected for such purposes. 

The only objection I have heard of as being urged 
against planting fruit and nut trees along the highway 
is that they tempt boys and girls — as well as persons of 
larger growth — to become trespassers ; but this only ap- 
plies to where there is such a scarcity that the quantity 
taken perceptibly lessens the total crop. But where 



^ INTRODUCTION. 7 

there is an abundance, either the temptation to trespass 
disappears, or we fail to recognize our loss. As we can- 
not yerj well dispense with the small boy and his sister, 
I am in fayor of providing them bountifully with all the 
good things that climate and circumstance will afford. 
It is a truism that conscience is neyer strengthened by 
an empty stomach. 

A mile, in this country, is 5280 feet, and if trees 
are set 40 feet apart — which is allowing sufficient room 
for them to grow during an ordinary lifetime — we get 
133 per mile in a single row ; but where the roads are 
three to four rods wide, two rows may be planted, one 
on each side, or 266 per mile. With such kinds as the 
Persian walnut and American and foreign chestnuts, we 
can safely estimate the crop, when the trees are twenty 
years old, at a half bushel per tree, or 66 bushels for a 
single row, and 133 for a double row per mile. With 
grafted trees of either kind we may count on double the 
quantity named, presuming, of course, that the trees 
are given proper care. But to be on the safe side, let us 
keep our estimate down to the half-bushel mark per 
tree, and with this crop, at the moderate price of four 
dollars per bushel, we would get $264 from the crop on a 
single row, and double this sum, or $528, for the crop 
on a double row — with a fair assurance that the yield 
would increase steadily for the next hundred years or 
more ; while the cost of gathering and marketing the 
nuts is no greater, and in many instances much less 
than that of the ordinary grain crops. At the expira- 
tion of the first half century, one-half of the trees may 
be removed, if they begin to crowd, and the timber used 
for whatever purpose it may best be adapted. The re- 
maining trees would probably improve, on account of 
having more room for develoj^ment. 

There has been a steady increase in the demand, 
and a corresponding advance in the price of all kinds of 



8 THE NUT CULTUKIST. 

edible niits^ during the past three or four decades, and 
this is likely to continue for many years to come, be- 
cause consumers are increasing far more rapidly than 
producers ; besides, the forests, which have long been 
the only source of supply of the natiye kinds, are rapidly 
disappeai'ing, while there has not. been, - as jet, any 
special effort to make good the loss, by replanting or 
otherwise.^ Tiie dealers in such articles in our larger 
cities assure me that the demand for our best kinds of 
edible nuts is far in excess of the supply, and yet not 
one housewife or cook in a thousand in this country has 
ever attempted to use nuts of any kind in the prepara- 
tion of meats and other dishes for the table, as is so gen- 
erally practiced in European and Oriental countries. 

The question may be asked, if the demand is suffi- 
cient to warrant the planting of the hardy nut trees ex- 
tensively along our highways or elsewhere. In answer 
to such a question it may be said that we not only con- 
sume all of the edible nuts raised in this country, but 
im23ort millions of pounds annually of the very kinds 
which thrive here as well as in any other part of the 
world. 

I have before me the records of our imports from 
the year 1790 to 1894, but as I purpose dealing more 
with the 23resent and future than with the distant past, 
I will refer here only to the statistics of the four years 
of the present decade, leaving out all reference to the 
tropical nuts, which are not supjjosed to be adapted to 
our climate. 

Of almonds, not shelled, and on which there is a 
protective duty of three cents per pound, we imj)orted 
from 1890 to the close of 1893, 12,443,895 pounds, val- 
ued at $1,100,477.65. Of almonds, shelled, on whicli 
the duty is now five cents, we imported 1,326,633 pounds. 
The total value of both kinds for the four years, amounted 
to 11,716,277.32. Whether this high protective duty 



li^TRODUCTIOi^. . 9 

is to remain or not is uncertain, but it is quite evident 
that it has had yery little effect in stimulating the culti- 
vation of this nut except in circumscribed localities on 
the Pacific coast. 

Of filberts and walnuts, not shelled, and with a 
duty of two cents per pound, we imported during the 
same years from eleven to fifteen million pounds annu- 
ally, or a total for the four years of 54,526,181 pounds, 
and in addition about two million pounds of the shelled 
kernels, on which the duty was six cents (now four) per 
pound. The total value of these importations amounted 
to $3,176,085.34. 

. I do not find the European chestnut mentioned in 
any list of imports, although an immense quantity mnst 
be received from France, Italy and Spain eyery year, 
and they are probably imported under the head of mis- 
cellaneous nuts, not specially provided for, and upon 
which the duty was two cents per pound in 1890-'91, 
but was later reduced to one and a half cents. 

Under the head '^miscellaneous nuts," or all other 
shelled and unshelled ''not specially provided for," there 
was imported during the period named 6,442,908 pounds, 
valued at 1235,976.05. The total for all kinds of edible 
nuts imported was $7,124,575.82. These figures are 
sufficient to prove that we are neglecting an opportunity 
to largely engage in and extend a most important and 
profitable industry. It is true that in the Southern 
States considerable attention has been given, of late, to 
the preservation of the old pecan nut trees and the plant- 
ing of young stock, but it will be many years before the 
increase from this source can overtake the ever-increas- 
ing demand for this delicious native nut. Californians 
are also making an effort to raise several foreign varie- 
ties of edible nuts on a somewhat extensive scale, but 
all these widely scattered experiments are mere drops in 
the ocean of our wants. Under such conditions I ask. 



10 THE ]S^UT CULTURIST. 

in all seriousness, if it is not about time that our farmers 
and rural population generally began to count their 
worthless and unproductiye possessions, in the form of 
roadside and other shade trees — which have probably 
cost fully as much to secure, plant and care for during 
the few or many years since they were set out, as would 
have been expended upon the most beautiful and valu- 
able nut-bearing kinds. If our ancestors were at fault 
in the selection of trees for planting, we need not expect 
that posterity will excuse us for continuing and repeat- 
ing their folly, especially when our dear-bought experi- 
ence should teach us better. 

At the present time there might be some difiSculty 
in procuring, at the nurseries, a choice selection of nut 
trees in any considerable quantity, suited to roadside 
planting, because heretofore there has been little de- 
mand for such stock; and nurserymen are only human, 
and conduct their establishments on business principles, 
propagating the kind of trees in greatest demand, regard- 
less of their intrinsic or future value to purchasers. 
They will also continue producing such stock just so 
long as the demand will warrant it, and further, it is 
but natural that they should sometimes recommend and 
advise their customers to purchase worthless, and even 
pestiferous kinds, such as the ailanthus and white pop- 
lar, because the profits in raising these trees are large 
and there is little danger of loss in transplanting. But 
if purchasers will insist on having better kinds and re- 
fuse to accept any other, they will soon be accommo- 
dated ; and if not, then let everyone who owns a plot of 
ground become his own propagator of trees. It is not 
beyond the ability of any moderately intelligent man (or 
woman, for that matter) to raise nut trees, and as readily 
as one could potatoes or corn. 

Where farmers w^ant a row of trees along the road- 
side, to be utilized for line fence jDOsts, they cannot pos- 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

sibly find any kinds better adapted for this purpose than 
chestnut, wahiut and hickory ; and these will give just as 
dense a shade, and look as well — besides, in a few years 
they may yield enough to pay the taxes on the entire 
farm, the crop increasing in amount and yalue not only 
during the lifetime of the planter, but that of many 
generations of his descendants. 

This appeal to the good sense of our rural popula- 
tion is made in all sincerity and with the hope that it 
will be heeded by every man who has a spark of patriot- 
ism in his soul, and who dares show it in his labors, and 
by setting up a few milestones in the form of nut-bear- 
ing trees along the roadsides — if for no other purpose 
than the present pleasure of anticipating the gratifi- 
cation such monuments will afiord the many who are 
certain to pass along these highways years hence. 

It is surely not good policy to enrich other nations 
at the expense of our own people, as we are now doing 
in sending millions of dollars annually to foreign coun- 
tries in payment for such luxuries as edible nuts that 
could be readily and profitably produced at home. There 
need be no fear of an overproduction of such things, no 
matter how many may engage in their cultivation, be- 
cause in such industries many will resolve to do, and 
even make an attempt, but a comparatively small num- 
ber will reach any marked degree of success. 



CHAPTER II. 



THE ALMOi^D. 



Amygdalus, Totcmef or t. Name supposed to be de- 
riyed from amysso, to lacerate, because of the prominent 
sharp, knifelike margin of one edge of the deeply pitted, 
wrinkled nut. Martins, an Italian botanist, suggests 
that the name came from the Hebrew word sliahacl, sig- 
nifying vigilant, or to awake, because after the rigors of 
winter the almond tree is one of the earliest to hail the 
coming of spring, with its flowers. The common Eng- 
lish name is from the Latin amandola, corrupted from 
amygdala. In French it is amaudier ; in German, 
mandel ; Portuguese, amendoa ; Spanish, almendro ; 
Italian, amandola, mandalo, mandorla, etc. ; Dutch, 
amendel ; Chinese, Mm-lio-gin. 

Under the natural classification of plants the almond 
belongs to the order Rosacem, and in the tribe Drupacem. 
Linnaeus placed the peach and almond in the same 
genus, and they are now generally considered to be only 
varieties of one species, — the wild almond tree is prob- 
ably the j)arent from which all the cultivated peaches 
and nectarines have descended. In most of our modern 
botanical works these fruits are classed as a sub-section 
of Prumis, the plum. They are mainly deciduous 
shrubs, or small trees. The flowers are variable, both 
in size and color ; but in the almond they are usually 
somewhat larger than in the peach, almost sessile, and 
from separate scaly buds on the shoots of the preceding- 
season, appearing in early spring, before or with the 
unfolding leaves, the latter being folded lengthwise in 

12 



THE ALMOI^D. 13 

the bud. Leaves three to four inches long, tapering, 
finely serrate, with few or no glands at the base of the 
blade, as seen in many varieties of the common peach. 
Fruit clothed with a fine dense pubescence in both peach 
and almond ; but in the latter the pulpy envelope be- 
comes dry and fibrous at maturity, cracking open irreg- 
ularly, allowing the rough and deeply indented nuts to 
drop out ; while in the peach the pulpy part becomes 
soft, juicy and edible, the reverse of the almond. The 
nectarine is only a smooth-skinned peach. 

History of the Almond. — As with most of our 
long-cultivated fruits and nut trees, very little is now 
known of the early history or origin of the almond, and 
even its native country has not been positively deter- 
mined, although it is supposed to be indigenous to parts 
of Northern Africa and the mountainous region of Asia. 
Theophrastus, who wrote a history of plants about three 
centuries before the Christian era, mentions the almond 
as the only tree in Greece that produces blossoms before 
the leaves. From Greece it was introduced into Italy, 
where the nuts were called nuces grcecce, or Greek nuts. 

Columella, about the middle of the first century of 
our era, was the earliest Roman writer to mention the 
almond as distinct from the peach. From Italy this 
nut was slowly disseminated, making its way northward 
mainly through France, reaching Great Britain as late 
as 1538 (Hortus Keivensis). But its cultivation has 
never extended in Britain, beyond sheltered gardens and 
orchard houses, owing to the cool and otherwise uncon- 
genial climate, and the same is true of Northern France 
and other regions to the eastward in Europe. But in 
the south of France, also in Italy, Spain, Sicily, and 
throughout the Mediterranean countries, both in Europe 
and Africa, the almond thrives, and has long been ex- 
tensively cultivated. These nuts are an important arti- 
cle of commerce, immense quantities being exported by 



14 THE l^VT CULTURIST. 

Spain, mainly from Valencia, while tlie so-called Jordan 
almond comes from Malaga, as very few are raised in 
the valley of the Jordan. Bitter almonds come princi- 
pally from Mogador in Morocco. 

As for almond culture in the United States, very 
little is to be said further than that, while w^e have few 
experiments to refer to as having been made east of the 
Eocky mountains, not one of our great pomologists, 
in their published works, has ever given any reason for 
the almost entire neglect of this nut. Mr. Wm. H. 
White, author of '^Gardening for the South" (1868), 
throws no light ujDon the subject, merely describing a 
few of the well-known varieties of the almond. Down- 
ing's ^^ Fruit and Fruit Trees of America," Thomas' 
"American Fruit Oulturist," Barry's "Fruit Garden," 
and a score of other standard pomological works may be 
consulted, without obtaining therefrom any information 
in regard to the culture of this nut further than to be 
assured that the hard-shelled varieties are hardy in the 
North wherever the peach tree thrives, and the thin, or 
paper shelled, succeed only in warm climates. All these 
authoi's agree in saying that the propagation and culti- 
vation of the almond is the same as practiced with the 
peach. 

Coming down to recent years for information in 
regard to almond culture, we find H. E. Van Deman, 
pomologist to the Department of Agriculture, dismissing 
the subject in his report for 1892, as follows : 

"I only mention this nut to state to all experimen- 
ters that it is useless to try to grow the almond of com- 
merce this side of the Eocky mountains, excex^t, possi- 
bly, in K"ew Mexico and southwestern Texas. This is 
thoroughly established by many reports from those who 
have tried it in nearly every State and for many years 
past. It is too tender in the North and does not bear in 
the South. In California it is an eminent success. 



THE ALMOXD. 15 

^' The flavor of the hard-shelled almond, so far as I 
have tested it, is little or no better than a peach kernel, 
and is therefore practically worthless. The tree of this 
variety is about as hardy as the peach, and bears quite 
freely. The attention paid to the almond in the Atlan- 
tic and Central States might well be given to other nuts." 

This is certainly a very easy way of disposing of the 
cultivation of a nut which has so long figured among 
OLir importations from European countries ; besides, no 
ex^ieriments are cited, experimenters named, or reasons 
given why almond culture is a failure in the Southern 
States. But fortunately there are men in the South 
who are able and ready to give reasons for their opinions 
and statements, in regard to the cultivation of crops or 
plants with which they have become familiar through 
personal experience. When I asked Mr. P. J. Berck- 
mans, Augusta, Ga., president of the American Pomolog- 
ical Society, for information on this point, he promptly 
re|)lied as follows : 

*^The reason that almonds are not cultivated in 
Georgia and other Southern States is because of their 
early blooming, as spring frosts usually destroy all the 
blossoms. We have tried many varieties of the soft- 
shell without success. The hard-shell will occasionally 
bear a crop of fruit, as it blooms later, and the blooms 
seem to resist cold better than the other varieties. In 
middle Florida soft-shell almonds are sometimes success- 
ful, but they have been tried so sparingly that I cannot 
obtain any satisfactory reports." 

Admitting, as we do, that President Berckmans' 
long experience in the cultivation of nut and fruit trees 
in the South enables him to speak with authority on 
this subject, still, we have some encouragement for con- 
tinuing experiments with the almond in regions known 
to be favorable for the cultivation of its near relative, 
the peach. Furthermore, experiments seem to be want- 



16 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

ing with the almond in the more elevated regions of the 
northern line of Southern States, also in Maryland, Del- 
aware and southern New Jersey, near the seacoast, or 
other large bodies of water, which, as is well known, 
have considerable influence in retarding the early bloom- 
ing of fruit trees, as well as warding off late spring and 
early autumn frosts. 

It is scarcely reasonable to suppose that a region 
of country as extensive as that of one-half of the Middle 
and all of the Southern States, with a range of climate 
admitting of the successful cultivation of such hardy 
fruits as the apple and pear, and from these down to the 
pineapple and cocoanut, should not yield a locality or 
localities admirably adapted to the cultivation of the 
half-hardy almond tree. It is no doubt true that there 
are extensive regions in the South where late spring 
frosts are exceedingly troublesome, and sometimes dis- 
astrously so, to fruit growers ; but even these have their 
limits, as shown in the vast quantity and variety of 
fruits annually i^roduced in the Southern States. But 
great local variations in climate are natural to all coun- 
tries in the temperate zone, and we frequently find the 
most favorable and the unfavorable for fruit culture 
within a few miles of each other. 

If there are not thousands and tens of thousands of 
acres of land located in favorable positions between Vir- 
ginia and Florida, adapted to produce the commercial 
almond in some of its varieties, then we must confess 
that the study of climatology is of little use to the 
pomologist. Furthermore, all the varieties of the so- 
•called hard-shelled almonds which thrive in our north- 
ern States are not worthless, neither are the kernels 
of all of them ^^ bitter," and even if they were, they 
would still be worth cultivating, else we would not 
import such vast quantities from Morocco to supply the 
demand. 



THE ALMOKD. 17 

If none of the tliin-shelled varieties heretofore tried 
in the South are successful, it is time that either our ex- 
periment stations or individual horticulturists made some 
attempt to produce those that are adapted to that region 
of country. But until we have some more definite infor- 
mation than heretofore disseminated, iu regard to almond 
culture in the South, it is safe to conclude that failures 
in the past have been due mainly to want of judgment, 
or knowledge of varieties and of positions for the orchard, 
with, perhaps, some neglect in care and cultivation. 

In California almond culture has been pushed with 
vigor for several decades, but at first with rather indif- 
ferent results, because growers depended upon noted 
European varieties, which, as experience proved, were 
not adapted to the soil and climate of the country. In 
a paper read before the American Pomological Society 
at its session held at Sacramento, Cal., Jan. 16-18, 1895, 
Prof. E. J. Wickson, of the University of California, 
alluded to this subject of almond culture in the State as 
follows : *^In no branch of this effort for improved va- 
rieties has our success been more marked than in the 
development of seedling almonds. The achievements of 
A. T. Hatch in this line are too well known to require 
but a passing allusion. It is not too much to say that 
this work rescued almond culture to California. When 
he began, the almond, because of almost universal failure 
of the old varieties, was a jest and a byword in our 
horticulture. Nine-tenths of all the almonds planted 
during the preceding twenty-five years had gone for 
firewood or were carrying the foliage of the prune to 
conceal their hated stems. At the present time, through 
the dissemination of Mr. Hatch's varieties, the almond, 
in all regions decently adapted to the tree, is productive 
and profitable and has a future." 

That almond culture in California is rapidly becom- 
ing an important and successful industry, we have an 
2 



18 



THE KUT .CULTURIST. 




THE ALMOiq^D. 19 

ocular demonsfcration in the tons of these valuable nuts 
received from there in the past few years, and placed on 
sale in Eastern markets. If one man, by his individual 
efforts, can revolutionize or establish a great industry in 
a region as large as the State of California, it is not too 
much to expect that something of the kind could be 
done elsewhere, with the combined efforts of several 
men. If the varieties heretofore tried in the East are 
unsuited to the climate, it is certainly within the range 
of probabilities that others better adapted to surround- 
ing conditions can be produced. The native grape,, 
raspberry and strawberry have had a history similar to 
the almond, but now all are extensively and successfully 
cultivated. 

Propagation of the Almond. — The propagation 
of the almond is identical with that of the peach : that 
is, from seed to procure new varieties, or by budding 
the more desirable ones, when obtained, upon seedling 
almond, peach or plum stocks. The half-wild hard- 
shelled almond is probably the most congenial and best 
stock for this purpose, but seedlings of the peach are 
most generally employed because the most abundant and 
cheapest. Under certain conditions, such as cold, 
heavy, moist soils, and where rather dwarfish trees are 
desired, the plum may be employed with advantage as a 
stock, but it is not to be recommended for general 
orchard culture. In mild climates seedlings of the best 
of the soft-shelled varieties may be raised and planted in 
orchards without budding, but the nuts from such trees 
are likely to be somewhat variable in size and quality, 
although the trees will usually prove to be as healthy 
and productive as those subjected to artificial modes of 
propagation. If, however, the grower desires a uniform 
product, he must resort to the usual means of obtaining 
it ; that is, multiplying superior or distinct varieties by 
budding, either upon peach, almond or other stocks. 



30 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

It is advisable, as well as exceedingly important, for 
all wlio intend or feel inclined to cultivate almonds in 
regions where the adaptation of this nut has not been 
fully established by years of practical experience, that 
seedlings should be raised in large numbers, and from 
these a selection be made to meet the requirements of 
the climate and other conditions under which they are 
to be propagated and grown. If spring frosts haye been 
heretofore inimical to the cultivation of the almond, 
then the production of late-blooming varieties would be 
a remedy. There will also be variations in the season 
of ripening ; some may come on too early, others far too 
late for special localities, but all these faults or varia- 
tions may be readily overcome by raising seedlings, and 
then selecting for propagation those coming nearest ful- 
filling the requirements of local conditions or circum- 
stances. It is by such experiments and means that fruit 
culture has reached its j^resent position in this and all 
other countries, where it is j)i'acticed as an art or indus- 
trial pursuit. Varieties that have become exceedingly 
popular and profitable in one locality or country, may 
not have succeeded elsewhere, and this holds good with 
all cultivated plants. 

In making experiments with the almond in regions 
where it has not been cultivated, but under conditions 
which appear to be favorable, I would certainly advise 
testing the well-known varieties first, and if these fail, 
then see what can be done in the way of producing new 
ones adapted to the locality and climate. 

Raising Seedlings for Stocks. — In warm or 
moderately mild climates the nuts, whether peach or 
almond, may be planted soon after they are gathered in 
the fall, but should the weather continue warm and 
moist the nuts will sometimes sprout prematurely and 
the young sprouts get frosted later in the season, and 
for this reason it is better to store them in a cool room, 



THE ALMOND. 21 

packed in dry sand or soil, until the approach of steady 
cold weather, and then plant. Having lost choice kinds 
of nuts from being in too great haste in getting them 
into the ground in the fall, I am prompted to give this 
warning to those who have had no experience in raising- 
nut trees. If not convenient to plant in the fall, nuts 
of all kinds may be packed in barrels, boxes, or similar 
vessels, mixed with or stratified with sharp sand or light 
soil, then stored in a dry, cool place, — a very cool cellar 
will answer, but in my experience, out of doors is pref- 
erable, — and in the shade of some evergreen tree or on 
the north side of a building, and there banked over with 
earth just sufficient to keep the nuts at an equably low 
temperature. It is advisable to have a few small holes 
in the bottom of the barrels or boxes, to insure proper 
drainage, should any considerable amount of water get 
in at the top ; but this will not occur if the vessels are 
properly covered with boards when placed in position 
for winter. 

It must also be kept in mind that mice, squirrels 
and chipmunks are- fond of almonds and other kinds of 
edible nuts, and if placed where these little rodents can 
find them, they are sure to take a share, or perhaps the 
entire store, before their visits are discovered. I have 
known field mice to dig down under boxes of nuts, en- 
large the holes left for drainage, and spend the winter 
among the chestnuts which I had put away for planting 
in spring. The safest way is to place fine wire netting 
on the bottom of the box, and then cover it with the 
same. Owing to the abundance of mice and other little 
nut-eating animals, I have never dared to plant out nuts 
in the fall, and so have always stored them in sand, but 
out of doors during the winter, and well covered with 
earth. In other lacalities it may be safe to sow in 
autumn, and if protection from vermin is required, coat 
the nuts with gas tar, the same as practiced by farmers 



22 THE iN^UT CULTURTST. 

in protecting seed corn against the attacks of crows and 
other corn-pulling birds. One pint of warm tar will be 
sufficient for a bushel of nuts, and the application is 
readily made by placing the nuts in a barrel, pouring the 
tar on them, and stirring with a stick until every nut is 
coated. To prevent the tar sticking to the hands in 
planting, dust the nuts with dry wood ashes, laud plas- 
ter, or fine dry sand. 

If peach stones are to be planted for stocks they 
may be put into the ground as soon as ready in autumn, 
because they are rarely disturbed by vermin ; or if more 
convenient, mix with common soil, and in heaps, in the 
open ground, and leave in this position until spring, 
then pick out as they begin to sprout, and plant. The 
hard-shelled almond may be treated in the same way, 
only they are not to be handled quite as roughly as peach 
stones, and for protection it is best to put them in bar- 
rels or boxes, as described above. 

When ready for planting take out the nuts and drop 
them in shallow drills, one every ten or twelve inches, 
then cover with about two inches of soil. It is to be sup- 
posed, of course, that a seed bed has been prepared, by 
thorough working over and enriching, if necessary, in 
advance of planting. The distance between the drills 
or rows should be sufficient to admit of cultivating the 
plants with a horse or mule, and cultivator, during the 
summer, and if this is done and the soil stirred often 
enough to keep down all weeds, the stocks should be- 
come large enough to admit of budding the first season ; 
if not, then this operation must be deferred until the 
following year. But in case the seedlings are raised from 
choice varieties and to be left in their natural condition 
for fruiting, they may be lifted when one or two seasons 
old and set where they are to remain permanently. 

The Season for Budding. — So much depends 
upon climate, location, and variation of seasons, that no 



THE ALMOND. 23 

special date or time can be given for budding trees of 
any kind, but it is always to be done while the stocks 
are in active growth, because the bark must part freely 
from the wood underneath, in order to admit of insert- 
ing the bud under it. If the buds are set too early in 
the season there is danger of a premature growth ; that 
is, of pushing out a shoot in the fall instead of remaining 
dormant until the following spring. Under certain con- 
ditions, however, and for special purposes, it may be 
advisable to force the buds as soon as they have formed 
a union with the stock, but as a rule, in the propagation 
of hardy and half-hardy trees, it is better to keep the 
buds dormant during the cool or cold winter months. 

Here in the Northern States we usually begin to 
look over our stocks during the latter part of July or 
first week in August, and note their progress and condi- 
tion. Sliould they show the least signs of cessation of 
growth, we begin budding them, and push the work as 
rapidly as possible. If the season is a wet one the stocks 
may continue to grow and remain in good condition for 
budding until the middle of September ; but in a dry 
season they may cease to grow in August, and it is these 
variable conditions which gives to the close observer and 
man of experience such an advantage over the novice in 
the propagation of plants. It is better to begin budding 
too early than to be a few days too late. 

The operation called budding consists in taking a 
bud, with a small portion of the bark adjoining, from 
one plant, and inserting it in another, or in some other 
part of the same plant from which it was taken. The 
physiological principles which goyern the operation are, 
that there must exist an affinity between the plant from 
which the bud is taken and the one upon which it is to 
be jDlaced, and the nearer the relationship the more 
readily will it unite and the more perfect the union. 
For instance, the cultivated peach and almond are sup- 



34 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 



posed to be of the same origin, and descendants of one 
original species ; consequently there is a close relation- 
ship between the varieties of both sections, and their 
seedlings may be employed indiscriminately for stocks. 
The next nearest relatives in the family line are the 
plums {Prunus), some of which answer very well as 
stocks for the almond, although very rarely used for 




FIG. 2. BUDDING KNIFE. 

this purpose. The next group in the line of botanical 
relationship are the cherries (Prunus cerasus), but these 
are too far removed to be employed as stocks for either 
the peach or almond. 

For budding are necessary a small knife for prepar- 
ing the buds for insertion and making an incision in the 
bark of the stock to admit tliem ; and a quantity of 
some material to tie around the stock, so as to hold the 




FIG. 3. YANKEE BUDDING KNIFE. 



bud in place. Budding knives are made after various 
patterns ; one that is commonly used has an ivory or 
bone handle, made very thin at the end, that is used to 
peel the bark from the stock where the bud is to be in- 
serted (Fig. 2). Another form of budding knife is made 
with a horn handle, and a small tapering piece of ivory 
fastened in the end. These knives, of various shapes 
and sizes, can be had at the seed stores ; but another and 
quite a different form of budding knife is shown in Fig. 
3, and is known as the '^Yankee budding knife." It is 



THE ALMOKD. 25 

merely a small one-bladed pocket knife with a thin 
blade, round at the end. The cutting portion extends 
about one-third around the end of the blade and two- 
thirds of its length, leaving the lower part dull. Al- 
though this form of budding knife has been in constant 
use in some of the older nurseries in this country for 
nearly a century, it does not appear to have been manu- 
factured for the general trade, but only on special orders 
for nurserymen. It is so simple a knife, however, that 
with a little grinding almost any small one-bladed pocket 
knife can be transformed into one of these handy bud- 
ding knives. The rounded end of the blade is used for 
lifting the bark, and for rapid work it is far more con- 
venient than any form of knife that must be reversed in 
the hand every time a bud is inserted. In addition, a 
polished bit of steel is smoother and far less likely to 
lacerate the alburnous matter between the bark and 
wood than the best piece of bone or ivory. It may be 
said, however, that it is immaterial what form of knife 
is employed, provided it has a keen edge and is dexter- 
ously used. 

The material most commonly used in times past for 
tying in the bud is the inner bark of the linden or bass- 
wood tree, usually called bass, and always to be pro- 
cured in the form of mats, or as prepared from our 
indigenous bass woods and kept on sale at the seed stores. 
Kecently, however, another excellent tying material has 
come into use, known in the trade as raffia or roffia. It is 
the cuticle of the Jupati palms. One species {Rayliia 
tmdigera) is a native of the lower valley of the Amazon 
and Orinoco, and another [R. Euffia) of Madagascar and 
adjacent islands. Raffia is somewhat softer and more 
pliable than the ordinary bass, although it does not hold 
its form quite as well ; but it is so cheap, soft and strong, 
that it has become very popular, and is extensively used 
for budding and many other purposes. But if none of 



26 



THE KUT CULTUEIST. 



these tying materials are at band, the inner bark of the 
persimmon, corn husks, cotton twine, woolen yarn, or 
even strips of old muslin and calico may be employed 
with equally as good results, although not as handy and 
convenient for such purposes. The amateur, with only 
a few stocks to bud, can readily 
imj^rovise implements and materi- 
als for doing the work, even if 
they are not of the regulation type. 
In selecting buds, the young shoots 
of the present season's growth 
are preferred, and these should be 
taken from the most healthy and 
vigorous branches of bearing trees, 
if possible. The leaves should be 
immediately removed, not by 
breaking or pulling off with the 
hand, but by severing the leaf- 
stalks with a knife, as shown in 
Fig. 4. If the leaves have fallen 
from the twig, the buds may be 
too ripe, with some kinds of 
plants, but with the almond, and 
where only a few leaves near the 
base have dropped, all may be 
used with fair success. If there 
are any soft and immature buds 
on the upper joart of the shoot, or 
any undeveloped ones at the base, 
they should be rejected. Success 
FIG. 4. PREPARED SHOOT, j^ buddlug dcpcuds vcry largely 
upon the condition of the stocks at the time the opera- 
tion is performed. Unless the sap is flowing and in 
sufficient abundance to allow the bark to part or peel 
readily from the wood underneath, the bud is certain to 
fail. If the buds used should happen to be a little over- 




THE ALMOND. 



27 



ripe or wholly dormant when placed m direct contact 
with the living tissues and the juices of the stock, 
tbey will absorb moisture and nutrimen-t, and be as 
likely to unite and live as under opposite conditions. 

In performing the o2)eration of budding, the follow- 
ing rules may be observed : Take the twig from which 
the buds are to be removed, in the left hand, with the 
small end pointing under the left arm ; insert the knife- 
blade half an inch, or a little more, below the bud, cut- 
ting through the bark and a little into the wood ; pass 
the knife under the hud, and bring it out 
about the same distance above it, taking off 
the bud with the bark, and a thin slice of 
wood attached, as at c, Fig. 4. Then, if 
using the Yankee budding knife, or one of 
similar form, let the forefinger clasp the 
lower part of the blade, make the horizontal 
incision in the stock first, and from this an 
incision downward about an inch long, — 
or it may be twice this length without doing 
any harm, — being careful not to cut too 
deep. Lift up the edge of the bark by pass- 
ing the back of the end of the blade (with- 
out removing it) up to the horizontal inci- fig. 5. inci- 
sion. Lift the bark on the other side in the sign for bud. 
same manner, the tw^o incisions making a wound in the 
stock resembling the letter T, as shown in Fig. 5. If 
other forms of budding knives are used, the thin end of 
the ivory handle is thrust under the bark, raising it 
sufficiently to admit the bud. The budder holds the 
bud between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand 
while making the incision in the stock ; and as the knife 
leaves it he places the lower point of the bark attached 
to the bud under the bark of the stock before this falls 
back into place, and thrusts it down into position. If 
the upper end of the bark attached to the hud does not 




28 



THE NUT CULTUEIST. 



pass completely under the bark of the stock, it must be 
cut across, so as to allow that which remains with the 
bud to fall into place and rest firmly on the wood of the 
stock, as shown in Fig. 6. 

When the bud is in position and fitted to the stock, 
as shown, wind the raffia, or other material used, around 
the stock, both above and below, covering the entire 
incision, leaving only the bud and part of leafstalk un- 
covered. Of course experienced propagators have their 
own individual systems and modes of operation, but the 
above may be taken as a safe guide for the 
amateur budder. The ligatures should be 
loosened or removed as soon as the bud 
has become firmly united with the stock, 
which will usually be in ten or fifteen 
days, if at all. When the buds have failed, 
others may be inserted, provided, of course, 
the stocks are in condition to admit of the 
operation. Exceptions, however, may be 
made where the budding has been done so 
late in the season that the stock has ceased 
to grow by the time the buds have taken, 
and in such cases the ligatures may be left 
FIG. 6. BUD IN on later and removed any time before 
POSITION. winter. In cold climates the snow, ice 
and water are likely to get in around the bud if the 
ligatures are not removed. But where the stocks are 
vigorous and the buds set early, there will be danger 
of the ligatures cutting into the bark as the stocks swell 
or increase in diameter, unless they are loosened or en- 
tirely removed. 

Under ordinary circumstances budded stocks should 
not be headed back until the following spring, and then 
should be cut off two or three inches above the inserted 
bud ; and when this pushes into growth, all suckers and 
sprouts below and above it should be rubbed off as they 




THE ALMOND. 20 

appear, for the object is to throw the entire strength of 
the stock into this one bud, and when this has made a 
growth of two or three feet the short stump of the stock 
above the base of the shoot may be carefully removed 
with a sharp knife. This is usually done the last of 
July or first of August, which gives time for the healing 
of the wound before the close of the growing season. 
Sometimes it may be necessary to place small stakes by 
the side of these shoots for their support and to prevent 
breaking at the point of union with the stock ; but 
this will rarely be necessary, except in very exposed 
situations. 

If the young trees make a fairly good growth they 
will be ready for planting out in the orchard the follow- 
ing spring, and one-year-old almond trees are usually 
preferable for transplanting than older. It is not ad- 
visable to prune these young trees during the growing 
season the first summer, but allow all the side shoots or 
branches to grow unchecked, for by so doing we secure 
a more stocky plant, if not as tall a one, than we would 
if trimming up was practiced. But when the trees are 
taken up for transplanting, in the late fall or early 
spring, then they may be pruned and the lateral 
branches cut off close to the main stem, leaving a naked 
rod, and if low-headed trees are desired (and they usu- 
ally are), cut back the main stem to about three feet 
from the ground. If the young trees have made a 
growth of from four to six feet, then prune away the 
lateral branches to a hight of three feet or a little more, 
and cut in all branches above this point to within four 
to six inches of the main stem, leaving the buds on these 
stumps to form the head of the tree. Four or five 
branches at the top of the stem will be sufficient for the 
foundation for an open, round-headed tree, or in what 
may be termed a vase form, which is the best for 
almonds. 



30 THE iN"UT CULTUEIST. 

Soil and Exposure for Almonds. — The almond 
requires a warm, ratlier light and well-drained soil. 
Cold, heavy clays, and low, moist soils, whether light or 
heavy, are always to be avoided for the almond and 
closely allied trees. That the soil should be moderately 
rich is, of course, a condition required with all culti- 
vated nut and fruit trees, but over-stimulation may re- 
sult in excessive and immature growth late in the sea- 
son, this leaving the twigs in such a state that they will 
be unable to resist even a few degrees of frost, to which 
they may be subjected the ensuing winter. In what are 
generally termed mild climates, or where the tempera- 
ture seldom goes more than four to six degrees below the 
freezing point, hardy trees, if they have made a late 
growth, are often injured more than they would have 
been in a colder climate, with early matured wood. 
There are many kinds of what we consider very hardy 
trees and shrubs here in the North, that are very likely 
to be winterkilled or severely frosted when grown at 
the South, simply because the conditions are such that 
they do not ripen up in time to resist the cold. 

In touching upon the subject of location for an 
almond orchard east of the Mississippi, I should be 
inclined to relegate this valuable nut to semi-tropical 
Florida, were it not for the fact that almost a score of 
ornamental species and varieties of the same genus, — to 
say nothing of the widely cultivated peach, — flourish 
over a very wide range of country and climate, and 
nowhere better than near the Atlantic ocean in the Mid- 
dle and some of the Northern States. It is also gener- 
ally conceded that several of what are called hard-shelled 
varieties thrive and bear fruit in nearly all of our best 
peach-growing regions. From all that I have been able 
to learn of almond culture, and with my own limited 
experience with this nut, experiments are wanting to 
prove that it cannot be successfully cultivated in the 



THE ALMOKD. 31 

peach-growing region of the Eastern States. I will not 
say ^'profitably" cultivated, for this is a rather vague 
term when applied to horticultural operations of any 
kind. Success is not synonymous with profit ; in fact, 
it is frequently quite the opposite, and an abundant 
crop may mean glutted markets and a corresponding 
loss to the producer. But, to return to location, the 
principal cause of failure in almond culture, where it 
has been tried in the older States, seems to be the early 
blooming of the trees and subsequent destruction of the 
embryo fruit by frosts. To avoid this, high, open, airy 
situations, and even the north side of hills, would cer- 
tainly be preferable to southern slopes and protected 
locations, especially in the South or where the tempera- 
ture in winter does not go low enough to kill the wood 
of the previous season's growth. Theoretically, we might 
suppose that there are many locations favorable to al- 
mond culture in the elevated regions of North Carolina 
and Tennessee, as well as in the northern tier of counties 
in Alabama and Georgia. But in the absence of carefully 
conducted experiments in these regions, we have only to 
wait for their consummation at some future time, to 
prove the truth or falsity of our theory. 

In the rich, warm valleys of Kew Mexico, Arizona 
and California, congenial locations are plentiful, inas- 
much as almost every variety of climate is at hand, with 
a temperature ranging from that of perpetual summer 
to the opposite extreme, and all to be found within a 
few miles, and frequently to be found in the same 
county. Under such conditions, it rests with the would- 
be cultivator to decide upon the kinds of fruits desired, 
then to seek a location best adapted to his purpose. 

If, as claimed, — but not proven, — there are no 
limited or extended areas fitted for almond culture east 
of the Mississippi river, there are certainly plenty of such 
west of it, awaiting the industrious and intelligent nut 



32 THE i^UT CULTUEIST. 

culturist. Almond orchards have been planted in Cali- 
fornia and Arizona, and the quality of the nuts, as well 
as the quantity, is very satisfactory ; but a greater 
number and more extensive orchards are needed to meet 
the home demand. 

Planting and Pruning. — In planting and pruning 
the almond tree the same system should be adopted 
as with its near relative, the peach. One-year-old bud- 
ded trees are preferred for planting in an orchard, to 
older, except in the case of seedlings, then two-year-old 
may be selected, because these are seldom larger than 
one-year budded trees. The trees should be set fifteen 
to eighteen feet apart, varying the distance according to 
variety, soil, and otlier local conditions, and it is best to 
place them in rows and at right angles, in order to ad- 
mit of cultivating both ways, as it is termed, thereby 
saving as much hand labor as possible. For the first 
two or three years after planting, all weeds and grass 
should be kept away from the stems and over the roots, 
either by frequent hoeing, or covering wdth a mulch. 
The best way, perhaps, to prevent the growth of weeds, 
is to use the land among the trees for some low-growing 
crops, such as beans, tomatoes, melons or potatoes, then 
see that the workmen, when hoeing these crops, hoe up 
the weeds and grass about the trees at the same time. 
We might reasonably suppose that the most careless cul- 
tivator of trees would think of this, but, unfortunately, 
extended observation proves quite the contrary, and it 
is scarcely possible to go through any very extensive 
fruit-growing region without seeing many such instances 
of neglect. A square yard or more of tough sward is 
frequently left for years undisturbed about the stems 
of all the trees in an orchard, while the little annual 
plants growing near by, and not worth, at an extreme 
valuation, five cents each, are cultivated with the great- 
est care. 



THE ALMOND. 33 

The first pruning of the trees should be done at the 
time of transplanting from the nursery rows, us directed 
on a preceding page, and from the top of the stem only 
three or four shoots allowed to groAv the first season,, all 
others being rubbed off as soon as they appear, or when 
they have made a growth of tw^o or three inches. These 
three or four upper branches are to become the founda- 
tion of the future head of the tree, and should be allow^ed 
to grow unchecked the first season ; the next spring cut 
back one-half to two- thirds of their original length. 
This pruning will force out strong side or lateral shoots 
near the base, thus giving a sturdy foundation to build 
upon later, the pruner keeping in mind that the Aveaker 
the growth the more severe should be the pruning. 
Better leave a few strong buds, from which vigorous 
shoots will be produced, than a great number succeeded 
by many feeble twigs. If blossoms and fruit appear on 
the young two-year-old trees, a limited number may be 
left to mature, although no considerable crop ought to 
be gathered before the third year. 

In after years a somewhat different system of prun- 
ing may be ado^^ted, keeping in view the fact that the 
fruit buds and fruit are always produced on the young 
shoots of the previous season's growth, and for this rea- 
son an annual renewal of such parts of the tree is abso- 
lutely required, in order to secure a good crop on trees 
of any age. In some localities and countries it may be 
possible that almond trees produce a crop every year ; 
but this is scarcely to be expected anywhere. Conse- 
quently a system of pruning should be followed which 
will conform to the variations of circumstances and con- 
ditions ; and this brings us to the consideration of — 

The Proper Time to Prune. — If the growth of 

the trees and their fruiting were always uniform, then 

we might readily adopt some invariable system and season 

for pruning; but as we are dealing with uncertainties, 

3 



34 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

our rules must be equally flexible and variable. If the 
season is favorable, and the trees bloom freely and fruit 
sets abundantly, we may proceed to i3rune as soon as 
the embryo nuts are as large as peas, — but only cutting 
back some of the largest bearing shoots, and thinning 
out others here and there, just enough to equalize and 
evenly distribute the crop through the head of the tree. 
But in case the frost or cold of winter has destroyed 
the crop for the season, then as soon as this is discov- 
ered, prune and cut back all the shoots and branches 
sufficient to insure a vigorous growth of young bearmg 
wood for the ensuing year. Under this system of prun- 
ing we fix the time as after blooming in the spring, in 
order to have our work correspond to circumstances and 
conditions, and where there is a crop in prospect the 
pruning is comparatively light ; but if there is to be no 
fruit, or bat little, then one should aim to produce an 
abundance of bearing shoots for the following season. 
In other words, we prune severely in non-bearing years, 
whether they occur alternately or otherwise ; . but this 
system is only applicable to trees like the almond and 
peach, which j^i'oduce their fruit on the shoots of the 
preceding year's growth. 

VAEIETIES OF THE ALMOND. 

Almonds are usually divided into three groups, viz. : 
Bitter, hard-shelled, and soft, or pa|Der-shelled. In 
each there are many varieties, although they are 
rarely known in market except by the general name 
of the group to which they belong. If they are soft, 
hard or bitter, this is sufficient designation for commer- 
cial purposes, with, perhaps, the addition of the name 
of country in which they were grown, or that of the 
city or seaport from whence exported. 

Bitter Almond, Amygdalus communis amara. — 
The varieties of this group are not specifically distinct. 



THE ALMOiq^D. 35 

and some have soft, thin shells, while others are thick 
and hard; but the karnels are very bitter, hence the 
name. But in the countries where these almonds are 
most extensively cultivated, as in the South of France,. 
Austria, Spain and Greece, the trees are generally raised 
from the nut, and, as might be expected, the crop pro- 
duced under such conditions is exceedingly variable, the 
nuts being large or small, and the shells of various de- 
grees of hardness, with an occasional tree producing 
both bitter and sweet kerneled nuts. These wilding 
trees are, in the main, more hardy than the imjDroved 
varieties, hence are largely employed as stocks for the 
better sorts, as well as for the plum and apricot. It is: 
also claimed that, as a rule, the bitter almond trees 
bloom later in the spring than those of the other two 
groups, and for this reason are not so liable to be injured 
by spring frosts. The trees are hardy in all of our most 
favorable peach-growing regions of the Middle and 
lS"orthern States, but some of the varieties ripen rather 
too late for localities north of the latitude of 'New York 
city. All this, however, and other obstacles, will soon 
disappear, whenever the time arrives for our horticultur- 
ists to take up almond culture and pursue it with half 
the zeal they have the cultivation of the peach and many 
other kinds of fruits. 

Hard- Shelled Almond, A. c. dulcis^ or sweet- 
kerneled almond. — The varieties of this group, as a 
whole, differ from those of the next only in the firmness 
of their shells, which are moderately firm, with a slightly 
rough and deeply pitted surface, as shown in Fig. 7. 
Varieties of this group are fully as large as, and perhaps 
a little longer than the thin-shelled, and the kernels are 
fully as valuable when removed and sold as shelled 
almonds. It may require a little more labor to crack 
and remove the kernels for market, but the difference is 
scarcely worth taking into consideration by the grower, 



36 



THE i^UT CULTUKIST. 



The common sweet, hard- shelled almond thrives in 
peach-growing regions as far north as Central ^ew York, 
and I well remember of seeing trees loaded with these 
nuts, in my boyhood days, in the western part of the 
State. The late Patrick Barry, in the Fruit Garden, 
when referring to this nut, says : ''This is a hardy and 
productive tree, succeeding well in the climate of West- 
ern New York, and still farther north. Nut very large, 
with a hard shell and a large sweet kernel ; ripe here 
(Rochester) about the first of Octo- 
ber. The tree is very vigorous, has 
mooth, glaucous leaves, and when 
in bloom in the spring is more bril- 
liant and show^y than any other fruit 
tree." 

Nearly every one of our noted 
horticulturists who have said any- 
thing about almond culture in the 
North, agree with Mr. Barry in re- 
gard to the beauty of this tree and 
FIG. 7. HAKD-SHEI.LED Its productivcuess ; but it is well to' 
ALMOND. i^ggp jjj^ mind that it is no more to 

be depended upon than the peach, and the barren years 
will far outnumber the bearing ones. But the almond 
is probably as certain here as in France, where it is cul- 
tivated extensively as an article of commerce, although 
a full crop once in about five years is about all that is 
expected. We can probably do much better than this, 
especially if proper attention is given to the production 
of new^ varieties adapted to our climate, as has been done 
in California with the almond, and here in the East with 
the peach and many other kinds of fruits ; and when 
such have been secured, proceed to multiply them in the 
usual mode of budding upon seedling stocks. 

Soft, or Brittle-Shelled, A. c. fragilis. — In 
this group we have many distinct varieties, besides 




THE ALMONJ). 



37 




THIX-SHELLED 
ALMOND. 



others which are known by local names, but have no 
permanent and prononncecl clistinguisliing cliaracter- 
istics that would aid in separating them, should this be 
desired. The most common form, widely known as the 
sweet-kerneled thin-shelled (Fig. 8), is one of the oldest 
in cultivation in European countries. 
The flowers usually apj^ear with the 
leaves, or before thej unfold, and are 
large and of a pale rose color. The 
tree is rather tender for latitudes north 
of Philadelphia, but succeeds south- 
ward, and westward to the Pacific, 
if late frosts do not come to destroy 
the flowers or embryo nuts. 

Large Fruited Almond, A. c. 
macrocarpa. — This is an old French 
variety, and perhaps most widely 
known as the Sultana, although the 
latter name is often applied in market to almost every 
variety of sweet almond. The leaves of the genuine 
variety are much broader than those of the preceding 
groups, and are smooth and deep green. Flowers very 
large and showy, of a pale r(%e color, and always appear 
in spring before the leaves, and for this reason it has long- 
been cultivated in England as an ornamental tree. Fruit 
large, depressed or flattened at the base, but pointed at 
the top. Shell rather hard and firm, and will withstand 
rough handling and transportation long distances. Ker- 
nel very sweet and tender, hence highly prized every- 
where. There are several sub-varieties ; one, known as 
the Pistache almond, is highly esteemed for the table, 
on account of its delicate flavor, altliough it is very small 
and not popular for commercial purposes. 

The Peach Almond, A. c. ])ersicoides. — This is 
another old variety, described by Du Hamel about the 
middle of the last centurv, under the name of Amandier- 



38 THE is^UT CULTURIST. 

Peclier, or peach-leaved almond. Leaves similar to those 
of the common peach. Fruit ovate, obtuse; husk 
slightly succulent ; shell of a yellowish color, and the 
kernel sweet-flavored and excellent. Du Hamel says 
the fruit varies widely, even upon the same tree or 
branch, some having a dry, thin husk, while on others 
it is soft and fleshy, somewhat like that of the peach. 
As the almond and peach are of the same species, it 
w^ould not be at all strange if an occasional variety raised 
from the seed of either class should diverge towards, or 
even pass completely over to a closely allied group. 

From the varieties found in the forementioned 
groups we must seek to find, or produce therefrom, those 
which will succeed in this country wherever it may be 
thought desirable to attempt the cultivation of this nut. 
So far as my knowledge extends, no attempts have, as 
yet, been made to produce distinct American varieties in 
the Eastern States, as with its near relative, the peach, 
but all the almonds thus far cultivated here are of well- 
known foreign varieties. Perhaj)s the demand for 
almond trees has not been sufficient heretofore to en- 
courage very extended experiments in this direction, but 
I cannot believe that our people will continue for an- 
other century to import millions of pounds annually of 
almonds if it is possible to raise them in this country. 
That it is possible on the Pacific coast has already been 
fully demonstrated, but w^e want to see the field greatly 
enlarged, and give the people of the Eastern States a 
share in what is evidently soon to become a large and 
profitable industry. 

Ornamental Varieties of the Almond. — These 
are only referred to because some of the many in culti- 
vation belong to the groups producing the most valuable 
nuts, but the greater part of the purely ornamental vari- 
eties are worthless for other purposes. Amygdalus coch- 
inchinensis grows to quite a large tree in its native coun- 



THE ALMOND. 39 

try, or thirty to forty feet high ; flowers small, white, 
produced in long racemes; tender. A. orientalis, a 
small shrub, with grayish or hoary leaves, and small 
rose-colored flowers ; sometimes cultivated under tlie 
name of argentea, or Silvery almond. A. incana (lioai-y) 
is another dwarf species, from the Caucasus, with soHtary 
red flowers. A. nana and A. ^^umila are oriental sj^e- 
cies of very dwarf shrubs, with either red or white flow- 
ers. The double-flowering varieties of these have long 
been inhabitants of our gardens. 

Properties and Uses. — For domestic purposes 
the almond is highly esteemed wherever it is known, 
and is employed in hundreds of different ways in the 
l^reparation of appetizing dishes and dainties for the 
table. In countries where this nut is in cultivation, it 
is brought to the table in the half-opened green husk, 
for at this time the kernels are just passing from the 
milky stage, and are considered more readily digested 
than later, or when fully ripe. But it is only when they 
are fully mature that they are gathered for market, and 
after thorough drying they are placed in strong sacks 
and distributed among dealers in all parts of the world. 
But only certain varieties are exported in this condition, 
and principally those with very thin shells, because 
these are most in demand, for the table and dessert, 
where the almond is not a home product. Other sweet 
varieties, whether with very hard or very tender shells, 
are cracked and only the kernels exported. The im- 
portation of shelled almonds into this country is some- 
what in excess of the unshelled, and as they are of 
greater value per pound, the duty levied is proportionally 
higher. There is also a great saving to the importer 
and consumer, — not only in freight, but the extraction ot 
the kernels is done in countries where labor is abundant 
and cheap. Whether the almond shells are used for 
any purpose in European countries, or are considered as 



40 THE NUT CULTTEIST. 

wholly a waste product, I have been unable to learn, but 
it is asserted, and by men whose word is worthy of 
credence, that almond shells ground into a fine golden 
colored flour, is much used in this country for adulter- 
ating red pepper, cinnamon and other spices. 

Almonds are not only used extensively at all times 
and seasons, by persons of all ages and sexes, at table 
and elsewhere, but they are employed largely in the 
making of fancy confectionery with sugar, or in the form 
of salted almonds, the kernels having been first thor- 
oughly steamed or scalded, to remove the skin, and then 
rolled or dusted with fine salt. Prepared in this way 
they are usually considered more readily digestible and 
healthful than in their natural state. 

Sweet almonds are also valued in the form of emul- 
sions, as a medicine in pulmonary disorders, and the oil 
of almonds is a common standard article in the stock of 
druggists everywhere, as it enters into the composition 
of cosmetics, syrups, pastes and powders of various 
kinds. 

The kernels of the wild bitter almond contain a 
poisonous principle knowm as hydrocyanic or Prussic 
acid, .which does not exist in the sweet varieties, although 
found in their leaves and the bark of their twigs. But 
as bitter almonds are not palatable, there is little danger 
of anyone being poisoned from eating them, should 
these nuts ever be cultivated here for any special pur- 
pose, as in other countries. 

Insects and Diseases. — Whenever the almond 
tree becomes common here in orchards it will doubtless 
suffer from the attacks of the same kinds of natural en- 
emies as affect the peach. One of the most widely dis- 
tributed of these pests is the common peach-tree borer. 
The parents of these borers are small, slender-bodied, 
bluish, transparent-winged moths, the male somewhat 
smaller than the female. These moths usually appear 



THE almo:nd. 41 

in this latitude during the month of June, and the 
female deposits her eggs on the stems of the trees near 
the surface of the ground, or a little below it if she can 
find a convenient opening to suit iier purpose. Tlie 
eggs deposited soon hatch, and the young larva? bore 
through the tender bark at this point, and when fairly 
under it, branch off, cutting galleries through the soft 
alburnum underneath. Yfhen a number of these borers 
are at work on the same tree they sometimes girdle and 
kill it the first season, especially if it is young or a small 
specimen. But if the tree is not killed outright it will 
shov/, by the check to its growth, that borers are at 
work. The borers continue feeding throughont the 
remainder of the season, and up to the time freezing 
weather sets in for the winter, and if not full grown at 
this time they will finish their growth early in spring, 
then crawl to near the outside, or just under the old 
bark, and there spin a thin cocoon, in which they are 
transformed to the pupal stage, remaining in this form 
for a few weeks, then issuing in the winged or moth 
stage. 

In the line of preventives and remedies there is 
nothing better than clean cultivation about the trees, 
and annual examination of each tree early in summer 
and the crushing of every borer found. The next best 
thing, in the way of a preventive, is to wrap the stems 
from a little below the surface of the ground to a foot or 
more above it with heavy paper, cloth, or bark of some 
kind, to keep the moth from laying her eggs on the bark 
of the tree. I have used common tar paper for this 
purpose, not only because it is very cheap and does not 
decay when exposed to the weather, but the exhalation 
or odor of tar seems to be offensive to the moths. In 
the use of this material I have never found that it was 
in the least injurious to the bark underneath. Painting 
the stems with soap, cement, clay, or even common 



42 THE KUT CULTUKIST. 

mineral paints, will answer very well if a little care is 
given to keeping down the number of insects by remove 
ing the larger part of the borers with knife or gonge. 

In recent years a i^est known as the '^shot-hole 
borer" (Scolytus rugulosus) has appeared in many and 
widely separated localities, in both the Eastern and 
AYestern States, attacking the almond, peach and plum 
tree. It is supposed to have been introduced from 
Europe with imported nursery stock, and thence rapidly 
distributed, by similar means, through the country. In 
its perfect stages it is a minute brown beetle, about one- 
twelfth of an inch long and one-thirtieth of an inch in 
diameter. This pest appears about midsummer, boring 
numerous minute holes through the bark and into the 
sapwood uDderueath, and in this the female deposits 
her eggs, and from these are hatched the little grubs 
found later feeding on the soft inner bark and alburnous 
matter beneath it. Erom every hole made in the bark 
a small globule of gum will soon appear, drying upon 
the surface — thence onward until autumn — and glisten- 
ing in the sun, an immutable sign of the presence of a 
minute but destructive enemy. 

AYheu the beetles and their eggs are once in posses- 
sion there is no practical way known of removing them, 
and the best thing to be done is to cut down and burn 
every infested tree, and just as soon as it is known to be 
in this condition. There are also several indigenous 
species of bark beetles, which will very likely attack 
almond trees as soon as they are as abundant as peach 
trees, but all may be destroyed with the same, or very 
similar weapons and materials. 

What are called preventives consist mainly of sub- 
stances to be applied to the stems in a semi-liquid form, 
and of such a nature as to be offensive to the beetles 
because of their odor, taste, or because so hard that the 
insects cannot cut through them with their mandibles. 



THE ALMOND. 43 

Common lime whitewash, soft soap, whale-oil soap, or a 
thin mineral paint made of pure linseed oil, will answer 
yery well for this purpose if applied often enough to 
keep the bark constantly coated. 

Of the fungous diseases affecting the almond in tliis 
country, very little is as yet known, although we may 
safely include under this head all those that have been 
inimical to the peach, for the transition from this tree 
to the almond would only be a natural sequence. The 
peach-leaf curl {Taplirina deformans) would not be far 
from home on the almond leaf, neither could we expect 
that almond orchards would be wholly exempt from 
that mysteriously distributed and uncontrollable disease 
known as ^^ peach yellows." 

In California an almond-leaf blight has already ap- 
peared and seriously affected the trees in some of the 
orchards. It is caused by a fungus known as Cercospora 
circumscissa Sacc. This fungus attacks the leaves and 
young twigs, causing the former to fall off early in the 
season, thereby checking the growth of the tree and pre- 
venting the maturing of the fruit. It is thought that 
remedies may be applied to check this disease, and there 
will probably be some form of copper solution em]3loyed 
for destroying it, as with various species of fungi on other 
kinds of fruit trees. 



CHAPTEE III. 

THE BEECHXUT. 

Fagiis, Linn, The Beecli. The Latin name of the 
genus {Fagus) supposed to be an equivalent of the Greek 
pliegos, an oak, or it may be derived from ])liago, to eat ; 
the nuts of this tree having been used as food by man 
in all ages and countries where it is a native. The 
modern English name, beech, was probably derived 
from the Anglo-Saxon lece or hoc ; in Dutch it is heiih ; 
French, lietre ; Icelandic, heyh ; Danish, hog ; Swedish, 
hah; G-erman, huclie or huoche; Eussian, huh; Italian, 
faggio ; Armenian, /(^o; and in Welsh ffaiuydd. 

The beech belongs to the order CiqniUfercB, or oak 
family. The genus contains about fifteen species of 
handsome deciduous and evergreen trees, or shrubs, very 
widely distributed throughout the temperate and colder 
regions of both the northern and southern hemispheres. 
Male flowers are bell-shaped, in long-stalked drooping 
heads ; calyx five to seven cleft, containing numerous 
stamens. Female flowers two to four in a clnster on the 
summit of the scaly-bracted peduncle ; the inside scales 
uniting, forming a four-lobed involucre of imbricated 
bracts, the whole becoming at maturity a somewhat 
prickly, scaly bur, within which are found a pair of 
sharp-edged triangular nuts, containing a tender and 
sweet-flavored kernel. 

History of the Beech. — The common beeches of 
both Europe and ]N"orth America are so closely related 
that the two species may be considered as one for all 
practical purposes, such as propagation, cultivation, and 

44 



THE BEECHNUT. 45 

yalue of the wood and nuts. It is true, however, that 
our native beech is not environed with ancient myths 
and stories of love and war, neither is it celebrated in 
poetry and song, yet it has, doubtless, played just as 
noble a part in human affairs among the pre-historic 
races of America as those recorded of its Euro23ean con- 
temporary.- As the beech in Europe is found m the 
forests of G-reat Britain, Norway, Sweden, France, Ger- 
many, and southward to Constantinople, Palestine, Asia 
Minor and Armenia, it was well known and highly ap- 
preciated by all the early inhabitants of these countries, 
and is frequently referred to by the earlier writers of 
Greece and Rome who touch upon the rural affairs of 
their times. It is supposed that Theophrastus refers to 
the beech under the name of Oxua, and Dioscorides 
as PJiegos, and the latter author places it among the 
oaks, in which he was not far out of the way, because 
the beech is a member of the oak family in our modern 
classification. Virgil and Pliny speak highly of the 
little triangular nuts, and the people of their times set 
considerable yalue upon beechnuts as an article of food. 
Pliny also assures us that at the siege of Chios, the be- 
sieged inhabitants lived for some time entirely on these 
nuts. We are inclined to think, however, that both 
Virgil and Pliny are in error when they tell us that 
the beech was propagated by being grafted on the 
chestnut. They were probably led astray in this by 
some romancing gardener of their time, for we even 
have some of the same ilk with us at this day. Pliny 
refers to the beech several times in his writings, and 
places a much higher value upon this nut than he does 
upon the chestnut ; in fact, speaks rather contemptu- 
ously of the latter, and seems to be surprised that nature 
should have taken such care of the nuts, which he calls 
'^vilissima,'' as to enclose them with a prickly involucre 
or bur. 



46 THE :n^ut cultueist. 

But my limited space will not allow of tracing the 
history of the beech from ancient to modern times, 
although it has always been esteemed as food for man, 
as well as for wild and domesticated animals. Swine fat- 
tened on beech and oak mast have for ages been noted 
for their excellent flesh, and the value of many an old 
estate in Great Britain was determined more upon the 
mast the forest produced, than the area or number of 
square miles they contained. 

As a monumental tree the beech has no rival, for 
its smooth gray bark, perennial and almost unchange- 
able, has ever been a convenient place to register chal- 
lenges to enemies, epitaphs, epithets, and probably more 
frequently than all, the initials of the name of some 
loved one, who might possibly pass that way and find 
her name engraved on the beechen tree. I doubt much 
if there is a beech grove in all Europe or in America, 
within a convenient distance of a city, country village or 
schoolhouse, on which the bark of the trees is not scar- 
ified by the knives of boys in recording the initials of 
their own names, and those of their favorites of the op- 
posite sex. These living registers were long ago recog- 
nized by the poets, and more than eighteen centuries 
ago Virgil admits it in these lines : 

" Or shall I rather the sad verse repeat, 
Which on the beech's bark I lately writ." 

In more modern tinijs Tasso hints of the same habit, 
in Jerusalem Delivered, to wit : 

" On the smooth beechen rind, the pensive dame 
Carves in a thousand forms her Tancred's name." 

That the Spanish youths were not oblivious to their 
opportunities for recording the names of their favorites 
we must assume to be true, from the lines of Don Luis 
de Gongora, who tells us that : 

" Not a beech but bears some cipher, 

Tender word, or amorous text. 
If one vale sounds Angelina, 
Angelina sounds the next." 



THE BEECHNUT. 47 

Propagation of the Beech. — The beech, in all 
its species and varieties, may be propagated by the usual 
modes, viz. : By seed, layers, budding and grafting. 
The seeds, when gathered, should be mixed with clean, 
sharp, moist sand, placed in boxes, and then stored in a 
cool or cold place and carefully protected from mice, 
until the time arrives for sowing in spring. They may 
also be sown in the fall and lightly covered with leaf 
mold or other light soil, but unless coated with tar or 
some offensive poisonous substance, vermin of some 
form will be yery likely to find them and leave few 
to grow. Seedlings are used for stocks upon which 
to work the many yarieties in cultivation ; but as I 
am not writing this for the encouragement of propaga- 
tors of purely ornamental trees, I will omit giving 
any very extended description of the different modes 
of propagating the beech, farther than to say that 
should remarkably fine varieties with extra-sized nuts be 
discovered or produced, they can be perpetuated and 
multiplied by the same processes adopted for other kinds 
of nut trees. 

Soil and Location. — The beeches of N'orthern 
countries, in their many yarieties, thrive best in a cool, 
moist soil, for their roots rarely penetrate very deeply, but 
spread out widely and near the surface, forming an intri- 
cate network, which will try the patience of the wood- 
man who attempts to clear away a forest of beech and 
break up the ground. In this country, as well as in 
Europe, the beech thrives in calcareous soils, or what is 
usually termed limestone regions ; consequently, when 
transplanted or raised in sandy soils, or on the red sand- 
store formation, light applications of lime are usually 
found very beneficial ; but more than all, the beech re- 
quires moisture, and if not j^hmted in a moist soil the 
surface over the roots should be kept constantly covered 
with some kind of mulch. 



48 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

Species and Varieties of the Beech. — In the 

Dictionary of Gardening, edited by Greorge Nicholson, 
of the Eoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, the fol- 
lowing species of Fagns are briefly described, viz : 

F. antarctica. — Leaves ovate, blunt, glabrous, atten- 
uated at the base, doubly dentate, alternate, petiolate, 
one and a half inches long. A small deciduous tree or 
shrub, with rugged, tortuous branches. Xative of Tierra 
del Fuego, S. A. 

F. lehiloides (birch-like). Evergreen beech. — 
Leaves ovate, ellijotic, obtuse crenulate, leathery, shining 
glabrous, round at the base or short footstalks. An 
evergreen tree, native of Tierra del Fuego, S. A. 

F. ferruginea (rusty). American beech. — Leaves 
ovate, acuminate, thickly toothed, downy beneath, cili- 
ate on the margin. A large deciduous tree, very closely 
resembling the common European species, from which 
it is distinguished by its longer, thinner and less shin- 
ing leaves, 

F. ohliqna (oblique). Chile beech. — Leaves ovate, 
oblong, oblique, somewhat rhomboid, blunt, doubly ser- 
rated, entire at the base, attenuated into the petiole, and 
somewhat downy. A hardy deciduous tree, native of 
the cooler elevated regions of Chile, S. A. 

F. sylvatica (sylvan). European beech. — Leaves ob- 
long, ovate, obscurely toothed ; margin ciliate. A well- 
known large deciduous tree, widely distributed in Europe 
from N'orway southward to Asia Minor. From this spe- 
cies a large number of ornamental varieties have been 
produced, many of them merely accidental variations of 
the wild forms of the forests, while others have origi- 
nated in the seedbeds of nurserymen. But so far as I am 
aware, no variety has ever been introduced bearing 
su^Derior or improved forms of nuts. 

Our American beech {F. ferruginea) is a widely 
distributed tree, extending from Nova Scotia in the 



THE BEECHNUT. 49 

north, south to Florida, and westward to Wisconsin and 
Missouri. Formerly it was exceedingly abundant, but 
like many other of our most valuable forest trees, it is 
disappearing before the axe of the woodman, who has 
always found a ready sale for beech timber. It is used in 
the manufacture of plane stocks, shoe lasts, handles for 
paring chisels, and hundreds of similar articles. Beech 
wood is hard, firm, and takes a good polish, but is not 
very flexible. It makes excellent fuel, and ranks next 
in value to hard maple and hickory for this purpose. 
In the more northern States and where the beech grows 
to its largest size, the heartwood is usually of a reddish 
color; but here in New Jersey and farther south, the 
wood is usually white almost to the center of the tree, 
no matter how large it may be. The color of the wood, 
however, does not in any way detract from its value, for 
fuel and many other j)urposes, although some European 
dendrologists have been deceived into supposing that the 
white beech was almost or quite worthless. Loudon, in 
Arljoretum et Friiticetum Britannicum, Vol. Ill, in re- 
ferring to our beech, says: ''The wood of the white 
beech is little valued in America, even for fuel ; and 
the bark is used for tanning, but is little esteemed," etc. 
But if any one, in these later years, has had occasion to 
purchase beech timber for any j)urpose, he has probably 
learned, from the price charged, that it is esteemed, 
even for such base purposes as firewood. 

I am not, however, attempting to extol the Ameri- 
can beech as a timber tree, but ask that it be given a 
place among the select ornamental nut-bearing kinds. 
And I think every farmer who has a pasture lot could 
afford a place for at least one beech tree, and if there is 
a low, moist spot in the field, or a stony corner, this 
will be a suitable place for such a tree ; and the horses, 
cattle or sheep out in j^asture during hot days in sum- 
mer will be very grateful for the shade which a wide- 
4 



50 THE i^UT CULTUBIST. 

spreading specimen will give them. It may be that 
the owner of said pasture may recall the lines of 
Garcilaso : 

" But in calm idlesse laid, 
Supine in the cool shade 
Of oak or ilex, beech or pendant pine, 
Sees his flocks feeding stray. 
Whitening a length of way. 
Or numbers up his homeward-tending kine." 

He may be sure of one thing, and that is, the beech- 
nuts produced by one or many trees will always be ac- 
cei^table to the children, and of these hungry mortals 
there is likely to be a few, at least, roaming about in 
ages to come, as in times past. 

The beech is not really a desirable tree to plant on 
a lawn or near one's dwelling, because of its persistent 
foliage, which clings to the twigs yery late in winter, 
and the rustling of the wind through the dry leaves is 
not soothing to one's neryes, although not quite as dis- 
mal as the moaning pines. In summer, and until late 
in autumn, the American beech is a noble and graceful 
tree, — and if I may be allowed the expression, one of 
the cleanest of trees; its large, thin, bright-green and 
glossy leaves retain none of the dust and cast-off mate- 
rial of other trees which may be floating through the 
air, but are ever bright and pure. The tree has natu- 
rally wide-spreading and somewhat drooping branches, 
and should be given plenty of room for development 
when planted for the nuts or as an ornamental tree. Its 
leaves and the small slender branchlets (Fig. 9) are eaten 
with avidity by all kinds of farm animals ; consequently, 
protection may be required until the trees have reached 
a hight to be safe from such depredators. 

Beech seedlings do not. usually come into bearing in 
less than twenty to thirty years, but as no one in this 
country has ever attempted to cultivate this tree for its 



THE BEECHKUT. 



51 



nuts, or search onr forests for precocious and superior 
varieties, we have to admit that the field remains unex- 
plored, and as barren of results as it was when our an- 
cestors first discovered 
America. Every hunt- 
er, woodman, farmer 
and botanist who has 
roamed through for- 
ests where the beech 
trees grow, is well 
aware of the fact that 
distinct varieties are 
not at all rare, some 
having nuts twice the 
size of others in the 
same woods or groves, 
and it is possible and 
probable that some 
nut culturist in the 
near future will find 
time to select these 
choice wild varieties 
for cultivation and 
propagation. It 
would not, in my opin- 
ion, be beneath the 
dignity of our national 
department of agricul- 
ture, or some of its 
numerous costly an- 
nexes, to occasionally 
take into considera- 
tion the natural prod- 
ucts of this great pig. 9. beechnut leap, bur and nut. 
country, and determine, by a series of experiments^ 
whether or no they were not worthy of attention. 




52 THE I^UT CULTUEIST. 

Insects Injurious to the Beech. — No' disease 
has, as yet, been known to seriously affect the beech, 
and as for insect enemies, it probably has a less number 
than any other denizen of our forests. It is true that 
transplanted trees, and those left exposed by cutting 
away protecting neighbors, are sometimes attacked by 
borers in the stem, branches and twigs, but these ene- 
mies naturally follow in the train of debility, it being , 
one of the immutable economic laws of nature to hasten 
the demise and decomposition of the half-starved or 
otherwise enfeebled members of both the animal and 
vegetable kingdom. 

Isolated beech trees growing by the roadsides in 
parks and fields are occasionally attacked by a large 
grayish, long-horn beetle, the Goes j^i^^'^^erule/ita. It is 
about one inch long, and a rather sturdy beetle of a 
light grajdsh color, and usually infests the branches, 
but may occasionally attack the main stem. It is not 
abundant, and has seldom been found infesting the 
beech. There are also two or three borers of the Bu- 
prestis family of beetles which occasionally attack beech 
trees. They are distinguished by the broad heads and 
flattened bodies of the grubs, and they work just beneath 
the bark in the sapwood, causing dead patches, mainly 
on the south side of the stem and larger branches. If 
the dead bark is removed and the wounds painted they 
will soon heal over, unless the tree is suffering for mois- 
ture and nutrients at the roots. A few twig borers, with 
an occasional colony of caterpillars on the leaves, embody 
about all the insect enemies of the beech calling for any 
special attention, but there are a host of different species 
and kinds ever ready to pounce upon a sickly or dead 
tree, whether found in the field or forest. 

Properties and Uses. — The beechnut has been so 
long and favorably known that very little need be said 
here in regard to its properties and uses. In the forests 



THE BEECHKUTo 53. 

it affords food for many kinds of birds, such as the wild 
turkey, partridge or grouse, and especially the pigeon, 
and immense flocks of these collect in the beech forests 
in autumn to feed upon the nuts. Deer are very fond 
of these nuts, and so are all of the squirrel family, and 
the little ground squirrel or chipmunk, Tamias striattis, 
of our Northern States, gives us a good practical lesson 
in the way of preserving the nuts over winter. These 
little rodents jDack away the nuts in small pockets in 
their burrows and from two to three feet below the sur- 
face, where they are protected from excessive moisture 
and any considerable change of temperature. The chip- 
munk always stores the nuts in the ground, and not in 
hollow logs, as is sometimes asserted. The deer-mouse 
{Hesperomys leucopus), however, does select such places 
for putting away his winter's supply, but more fre- 
quently he chooses a hollow in the stem of some old tree, 
and several feet from the ground. Unlike the chip- 
munk, this mouse cleans the shells from the kernels, 
storing only the latter, and I have often found a quart 
or more wnen cutting down trees in winter. These ker- 
nels are usually so clean, bright, and free from odor, 
that it is to be feared the finder always confiscates them 
for his own use. 

As the beechnut contains considerable oil, many 
schemes have been set on foot, in European countries, 
for its extraction and use as a salad oil. Early in the 
last century (1721) Aaron Hill, an English poet, pro- 
posed to pay off the national debt from the profits to be 
derived from the manufacture of beechnut oil ; but his 
scheme fell through, like many others of its kind. It is 
also stated that Henry Fielding, so well known by his 
delightful stories of English society, once speculated 
rather largely on the manufacture of beechnut oil. In 
France, however, beechnut oil was formerly made in 
considerable quantities, and used in cooking fish and as 



54 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

a salad oil. In Silesia it is used by the country people 
instead of butter, and the cakes which remain from the 
pressure are given to fatten swine, oxen and poultry. 
The forests of Eu and of Crecy, in the department of 
the Oise, it is stated by Duhamel du Monceau, have 
yielded, in a single season, more than 2,000,000 bushels 
of mast, but probably this referred to all kinds of nuts, 
and not beechnuts alone. Years later, or in 1779, 
Michaux states that the forests of Compiegne, near the 
Yerberie department of the Somme, afforded oil enough 
to supply the wants of the district for more than half a 
century. In some parts of France beechnuts are roasted 
and served as a substitute for coffee. Many of these old 
forests have disappeared, but other kinds of nut trees 
are still being planted in France, and the product is 
simply enormous, and a source of wealth to the j)easant, 
as well as the owners of extensive forests and orchards. 
The beechnut has never been an article of commerce 
in this country, and it is rarely seen on sale in either 
country villages or our larger cities, not because of its 
scarcity or want of demand, but all that the country 
boys and girls find time to gather are wanted for their 
own pleasure and use. Picking up beechnuts among 
the leaves in a forest, or even after raking off the leaves 
and then whipj^ing the trees, is, at best, slow and rather 
tedious work, as I know full well from experience, and 
only once do I remember of having secured a rounded 
half bushel as the sum total of many raids on the beech 
trees in the neighborhood. But as the beechnut is the 
diamond among the larger and less precious gems of our 
forests, we should set a higher value upon it because 
small and rather difficult to obtain. 



CHAPTER lY. 

CASTANOPSIS. 
California chestnut. Western chinquapin. Evergreen chestnut. 

Oastanopsis, Spacli. Name derived from Castanea, 
the chestnut. Order, Cu])ulifer(B. A genus of ever- 
green shrubs and trees, intermediate between the oaks 
{Quercus) and the chestnuts {Castanea). There are 
about a dozen species indigenous to Eastern Asia and 
the adjacent islands. Blume, in "Flora Javae," Vol. II, 
1828-36, describes three species under Castanea, ^vhich 
he found in the mountains and more elevated regions of 
the Javanese islands. Very little, however, is known of 
these oriental evergreen chestnuts outside of the herba- 
rium.s of professional botanists, and they are rarely re- 
ferred to, even in standard botanical dictionaries, or 
dictionaries of gardening, and when mentioned they are 
usually placed in the genus Castanea. Edouard Spach, 
a half-century or more ago, gave a synopsis of the genus, 
for which he pi^oposed the name of Castano2)sis, and 
although nofc recognized -by botanists in general for a 
number of years, it is now accepted by botanical author- 
ities everywhere. We have but one indigenous species, 
and this on the Pacific coast, viz : 

Castanopsis chrysophylla, A. de Candolle. Casta- 
nea clirysophylla, Douglas. Castanea semper vir ens, 
Kellogg. 

"Leaves coriaceous, evergreen, lanceolate or oblong, 
one to four inches long, acuminate or only acutish (Fig. 
10), cuneate at base and shortly petioled, entire green 
and glabrous above or somewhat scurfy, densely scurfy 

55 



56 



THE KUT CULTUKIST. 



beneath, with none or few yellow scales ; male aments 
one to three inches long, densely pubescent ; styles three, 
stout, glabrous, divergent; fruiting involucre with stout 
divergent spines (Fig. 11) one-half to one inch long. 




FIG. 10. LEAVES AND NUT OF CASTANOPSIS CHKYSOPHYLLA. 

subverticillately many branched ; nut usually solitary, 
obversely triangular, six lines long." — '' Geological Survey 
of California," Botany, Vol. II, p. 100. 

*^This handsome broad-leaved evergreen tree is in- 
digenous to the elevated regions, from Monterey, Califor- 
nia, northward to the Columbia river in Oregon. It is 
also common in the Sierra Nevadas at elevations of six 



CASTA NOPSIS. 



57 



thousand feet, but in its southern limits rarely below 
ten thousand feet elevation." — 0. S. Sargent (^MVoods of 
the United States"). 

In the warmer and drier regions of California it is 
a mere shrub two to six feet high, and these dwarf forms 
have, in some instances, been described as varieties. 
As, for instance, Castanea chryso]jhylla, var. minor, 
Bentham ; C. cliryso]i)Jiylla, var. mino?% A. de Candolle ; 
and C. cJirysophylla, var. pumila, Vasey. But north- 
ward, where the cli- . 

\\i 



mate is more moist, it 




becomes a large tree 
fifty to one hundred 
and twenty feet high, 
with a stem two to 
three feet in diameter. 
In its wide variation 
in habit of growth, 
this western chinqua- 
pin is similar to our 
Eastern dwarf chest- 
nut, which is mainly 
a low shrub in the 
more Southern States, 
but becomes a fair-sized tree in the Middle States, or 
near its northern limits. 

I have introduced the AYestern chinquapin here 
among the nut-bearing trees, not with the idea that 
it will ever be extensively cultivated for its edible nuts, 
but because it is a beautiful broad-leaved evergreen tree, 
and of which we have far too few kinds in cultivation to 
give warmth and a cheerful aspect to our gardens and 
pleasure grounds in winter. It is true that, so far as 
can be learned at this time, no extended experiments 
have ever been made to introduce or cultivate the Casta- 
nopsis in the Atlantic States, consequently nothing pos- 



FIG. 11. CASTANOPSIS BUR. 



oS THE NUT CULTURIST. 

itive is known as to whether it will succeed here or not. 
In its northernmost range it thrives in forests among 
many kinds of trees and shrubs that are abeady common 
in our gardens, and this leads me to think that speci- 
mens or seeds of this tree procured from the mountains 
of northern Oregon will withstand the rigors of our 
climate. 

Mr. S. B. Parsons writes me that he first saw Cas- 
tanopsis chrysophylla ni Kew Gardens (Eng.) thirty-fiye 
years ago, and procured specimens, which were planted 
in his gardens at Flushing, N. Y., but they failed, pre- 
sumably because not hardy. It may be that his speci- 
mens were raised from nuts procured in the warmer part 
of California, and, as with many other Pacific coast 
plants, proved to be tender, while later introductions of 
the same species collected in colder- localities have proved 
hardy here. In my experience I have found a great dif- 
ference in the hardiness of trees and plants obtained 
from the higher and lower levels of the mountains from 
Colorado westward to the Coast range, for in those re- 
gions acclimation extending over thousands of years has 
developed and fixed certain physiological attributes, 
which enables them to readily adapt themselves to simi- 
lar conditions elsewhere, especially in the line of tem- 
perature. It may make no difference to those who want 
plants for warm climates, whether they are obtained 
from mountain or valley, but it certainly does to those 
who value hardiness above all other merits. 

In horticultural matters we are supposed to confine 
ourselves within certain natural lines in making experi- 
ments, but if we fail in one, or one hundred, it proves 
little beyond the bare fact that we have not been suc- 
cessful. I have experimented enough to have become 
somewhat wary of deciding that a thing cannot be done, 
or is impossible, because of my own and others' failures. 
Every practical horticulturist can call to mind many 



CASTANOPSIS. 59 

productions which had evaded the pursuit of experi- 
menters for decades and even centuries. 

For specimens of the nuts, burs and plants of this 
handsome nut-bearing tree I am nidebted to Mr. J. J. 
Harden, of Stayton, Oregon, who informs me that it 
grows in the mountains near by to a very large size, and 
among such well-known kinds of shrubs and trees as 
Rhamniis Purshianus, Cornus NuttalU, Corylusrostrata, 
and various species of conifers which are now more or 
less common in our Eastern gardens and parks. The 
twigs and leaves are shown in Fig. 10, and below a nut, 
and in Fig. 11 a bur, all of natural size. The small con- 
ical nut is slightly triangular, with a rather firm, brittle 
shell, not fibrous as in the acorn and chestnut. The burs 
are produced singly, but sometimes several on a twig, and 
when mature, instead of opening by valves, as in the true 
chestnut, they break up irregularly. The kernels are 
sweet and excellent flavored, and are sought for by yarious 
kinds of birds, as well as by all the squirrel tribe, and 
for this reason it is very difficult to procure specimens, 
unless gathered before they are fully ripe. The nuts do 
not mature the first season, but pass the winter in a 
partly developed stage, usually ripening the second year 
about midsummer or, in northern Oregon, in July. 

It is quite probable that this Oastanopsis, when 
planted in the Atlantic States, will require a little shade 
or protection, like the American holly and similar broad- 
leaved evergreens, and while it may not thrive anywhere 
north of Delaware and Maryland, it is worth trying, as 
the sole native representative of a genus containing sev- 
eral species of noble evergreen trees. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE CHESTXUT. 

Castanea, Tournefort. The ancient classical name 
derived either from Castanis, a town in Thessaly, or one 
in Pontius, as historians disagree in regard to its deriva- 
tion. The genus belongs to the order Ciij)idiferm. 

Male flowers irregularly clustered in long, naked, 
cylindrical catkins from the axils of the leaves and on 
the new shoots of the season. Calyx five or six ^Darted ; 
stamens or pollen-bearing organs seven to fifteen ; an- 
ther two-celled. On old, mature trees, the male catkins 
are usually crowded near the end of the short new twigs, 
as shown in Fig. 12, the terminal one productive ; but 
on young thrifty trees, wide apart. Female flowers 
always on and near the base of a late-developed male 
catkin, sometimes two or three together, — or even six or 
eight on the chinquapins, — oval or ovoid, scaly, prickly, 
two- to four-valved involucre or bur ; calyx usually with 
a four- to six-lobed border crowning the three- to seven- 
celled ovary ; stigmas bristle-shaped, and as many in 
number as there are cells in the ovary. Shell of the nut 
leathery,' not brittle, ovoid, two or more together in the 
larger species, in others solitary, or only one in a bur. 
Kernel very thick, fleshy, and somewhat plaited, sweet 
and edible. 

Both male and female flowers appear late in spring, 
the males usually exceedingly so, exhaling a slightly nau- 
seating odor. The productive male catkins appear the 
latest, their base becoming the rachis or stalk support- 
ing the burs, this rather anomalous arrangement appear- 

60 



THE CHESTNUT. 



61 




FIG. 12. CHESTNUT FLOWERS. 



62 THE NUT CULTURTST. 

ing to be a natural j)rovisioii to secure fertilization in 
case the earlier catkins failed. 

The genus Castanea, as now restricted, contains 
shrubs and large trees, with simple, alternate deciduous 
leaves, coarsely serrate, with pointed spiny teeth. In- 
digenous, and widely distributed oyer northern Africa, 
southern Europe, Asia and the eastern half of the 
United States. 

The common English name of this nut is supposed 
to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon cystel, chestnut, 
and cysi-heam or ciden-beam, chestnut tree ; Old Eng- 
lish, cliastein or cliesten ; Old German, chestinna or 
Icestinna; Modern German, hestene or kastanie ; French, 
castaigne or chataigne; Provencal, castanlia; Spanish, 
castana; Italian, castagna, from the Latin castanea. 

History of the Chestnut. — The so-called Euro- 
pean chestnut is supposed to be indigenous to Asia 
Minor, Armenia, Caucasus and northern Africa, and 
from these countries it was introduced and became nat- 
uralized throughout the greater part of temperate Eu- 
rope, where it has been cultivated from time immemo- 
rial. The Eomans are supposed to have distributed it 
northward through France and Great Britain, and in 
the latter country there were trees centuries ago -of such 
large size that many of the early English authors claimed 
this tree was indigenous. But in the absence of any 
natural forests of chestnut, the claim had to be aban- 
doned. In parts of France, Italy and Spain, the chest- 
nut has become thoroughly naturalized and, as we may 
say, run wild, but as one of the early investigators says, 
in speaking of the abundance of old chestnut trees on 
the Apennines, they are generally scattered over the 
surface like trees on a well-arranged lawn, and not 
crowded and massed, as they would be in a state of 
nature or in a forest. On the south side of the Alps the 
trees grow up to an altitude of twenty-five hundred feet. 



THE CHEST]S"UT. 63 

and on the Pyrenees some two or three linndred feet 
higher. 

There are old trees of immense size almost every- 
where in the milder regions of Europe, and the cele- 
brated monarchs of Etna have been many times de- 
scribed by travelers. The largest measure one hundred 
and eighty feet in circumference near the root. All the 
early Roman writers who have anything to say about 
rural affairs, mention the chestnut as one of their val- 
uable trees, producing nuts used for various purposes. 
Pliny enumerates eight varieties, but Columella appears 
to place more value upon the timber, especially the 
sprouts, for stakes, than he does on the nuts. But long 
before the Eomans began to cultivate the chestnut, the 
Greeks held it in high esteem under the name of Sarcli- 
mios Balanos or Sardis nut, and still later it was called 
Dios Balanos Lopimon, 

The European chestnut has been so frequently and 
extensively referred to by ancient and modern authors 
that it would not be at all difficult to fill a large volume 
with brief extracts from their works, but my aim is not 
so much to show what has been done with this nut in 
other countries as what we may do with it here. All 
nations who have any experience with it admit its value 
as food for many wild and domesticated animals, as well 
as for the human race, and we know, from our long 
experience with the native species, that it is highly 
esteemed wherever known, although it must be admitted 
that our sparse population and the abundance of 
other kinds of food, have tended to make us careless 
and neglectful of the indigenous chestnut. 

It may be well, before dismissing this brief history 
of the chestnut, to add that while nearly all the ancient 
authors, in referring to it, employed its present scien- 
tific name of Castaoiea, still, when botanists first at- 
tempted what has since been recognized as the scientific 



64 THE JSUT CULTUKIST. 

classification of plants, many of them placed the chest- 
nut in the same genus as the beech, retaining the gen- 
eric name of Fagus for both. 

Linnaeus, in his Sy sterna Naturce, 1766, Vol. II, 
p. 630, describes two species of the chestnut and one of 
beech in the genus Fagus, although Tournefort, in his 
^'History of Plants Growing About Paris," published 
seventy years before that of Linnaeus, had recognized 
the distinctive characteristics of these two groups of nut 
trees, and he adopted the present name of Castanea for 
the generic name of the chestnut, and Fagus for that of 
the beech. But nearly all of the English and earlier 
American botanists adopted and followed Linn^us in 
his classification, ignoring the works of the earlier as 
well as contemporaneous continental botanists. I merely 
refer to this matter of botanical nomenclature because 
some of my readers may have occasion to consult the 
earlier authors who describe American plants, as, for 
instance, such works as John Clayton's ^^ Flora of Vir- 
ginia," 1739, Thomas Walter's ^' Flora Oaroliniana," 
1787, or Humphrey Marshall's ^'American Grove," 1785. 
In all of these, and others, the chestnut is described as a 
species of beech {Fagus). 

Propagation of the Chestnut. — The usual mode 
of propagating the chestnut is from seed, when trees are 
wanted for general j)lanting or for stocks upon which 
to graft improved and rare varieties. Under some con- 
ditions and circumstances, ifc is best to plant the nuts 
soon after they are ripe in autumn, and this appears to 
be the most natural method; in fact, it is the way in 
which forests have been produced and are constantly 
renewed and perpetuated, when man does not interfere 
to prevent it. But nature is in no hurry in such mat- 
ters, while man always is, because his time is limited ; 
consequently, in our attempts at the multiplication and 
cultivation of plants we aim to save both time and mate- 



THE CHESTNUT. 65 

rial, therefore cannot aiford to adopt nature's slow and 
wasteful processes. 

The principal objection to planting chestnuts in the 
fall is the danger of having them destroyed by vermin, 
which abound almost everywhere. There is also danger 
of the nuts sprouting prematurely in the autumn, and of 
the young growth being killed by cold or by excessive 
moisture during late fall rains. But these natural enemies 
and obstacles prevent an excess in number and the 
overcrowding of trees in our forests. It is, no doubt, 
possible and practicable to smear the nuts with poison- 
ous substances, or those sufficiently offensive to prevent 
ther depredations of vermin, but taking all things into 
consideration, I am decidedly in favor of preserving the 
nuts in bulk and in a dormant state until the season 
arrives for insuring a rapid and continuous growth, and 
then planting them. To do this in our cold northern 
climate, as well as in the South, requires more care and 
attention with chestnuts than with the harder-slielled 
kinds, like the walnut and hickory nut. As a rule, it 
may be said that all the hardy kinds of nuts sprout at a 
rather low temperature and a few degrees above the 
freezing point, and for this reason it is well to select as 
cool a spot in the open ground as possible for their winter 
quarters, and then examine them as early as can be done 
conveniently in the spring. 

In this matter of manipulating and preserving 
chestnuts for jDlanting, as well as what follows in regard 
to transplanting, pruning and grafting, I shall give my 
own practice, with results ; and while it may differ from 
that of other propagators, it is one evolved from long 
experience, many successes, and a few failures. 

Gathering and Assorting Nuts. — When the 

nuts begin to ripen and fall, gather as soon as possible, 

and if the trees are on your own grounds and will admit 

of such an operation, thrash them and secure the entire 

5 



Q6 THE i?UT CULTURIST. 

crop at once. The object of this early gathering is to 
collect the false and weeyil-infested specimens and de- 
stroy them. Bnt in whatever way the nuts are collected, 
they should be stored in the shade and in shallow boxes, 
or spread out on a tight floor ; but the better way w^onld 
be on screens over a floor, and then when the grubs 
worked their way downward through the nuts and screen, 
they would fall upon the floor, from which they could 
be taken up and burned or otherwise destroyed. The 
nuts, while on the screen or other receptacle, should be 
stirred over daily for two or three weeks, and by that 
time they will be in good condition for either planting 
or 23acking away for the winter. But before finally dis- 
|)osing of the nuts in either way, they should be carefully 
looked over, and every shrunken specimen, as well as all 
with punctured shells from which the grubs have es- 
caped, removed from among the sound stock, because 
these damaged nuts are not only useless, but are very 
likely to decay and affect all with which they come in 
contact. It is not to be expected that by such means or 
handling we can get rid of all the grubs enclosed in the 
nuts when gathered, for there will always be a few not 
more than half grown at the time, and these will remain 
hidden in the nuts until midwinter, or later, but the 
greater part of the brood will reach maturity within two 
or three weeks after the nuts are ripe. Of course, what 
is said here about chestnut weevils is only applicable to 
chestnuts grown in this country, but all species and vari- 
eties, when planted here, are subject to the attacks of 
this pest — at least, everywhere in the Eastern and 
Southern States. 

Having assorted the nuts carefully, the sound ones 
should be reserved for planting ; these should be mixed 
with or stratified with moist, sharp sand, and stored in 
boxes of convenient size for handling and examination, 
whenever this is required. In preparing the boxes, bore 



THE CHESTNUT. G7 

a number of small holes through the bottom, and over 
each of these lay a piece of a broken flower-pot, brick 
or stone, then cover the bottom one inch deep with the 
moist sand, and on this place a single layer of nuts, then 
fill in all interstices with sand, and also use enough more 
to fairly cover the layer ; and proceed in this way until 
all the nuts are disposed of or the box is full, covering 
the top layer one or two inches deep, because the sand 
will settle some after the work seems complete. The 
boxes may be covered with fine wire netting or with nar- 
row strips of boards, fitting these so that mice cannot 
get in, but should not be air-tight. They may then be 
buried in the open ground, selecting some knoll or dry 
spot for this pnrpose, for the nuts should not be placed 
where they will be submerged, or even be watersoaked, 
at any time during the fall, winter or early spring. If 
no such spot is conveniently near, tlien set the boxes on 
the top of the ground, and on the north side of some 
building or in the shade of an evergreen tree, and bank 
over with soil, covering the boxes a foot deep. If the 
spot selected is under the eaves of a building, |)lace 
boards over the heap of 'soil, to carry off the water, for 
the object is to keep the nuts moderately moist, cool, 
and where they will not be subjected to frequent changes 
of temperature. In our JSTorthern States the nuts, 
under such conditions, usually become frozen during 
the coldest weather, but this does not injure them if the 
sand is moist and they remain frozen, as there will be no 
danger of germination ; while if kept too warm, they 
may start to grow before the seedbed is ready, in spring, 
for their reception. I have tried keeping the nuts 
mixed with sand in a cool cellar, also in outbuildings, 
but have not found any other place so certain as pits in 
the open ground. 

Seedbed and Soil. — It is well to have the seedbed 
prepared the previous autumn, but it is not absolutely 



68 THE KUT CULTUEIST. 

necessary. The soil for the bed should be light, either 
sandy or loamy, and if not rich, made so by adding very 
old and fine stable manure, or leaf mold from the forest 
— I prefer the latter, as it is the most natural for all 
kinds of seedling nut trees. Whatever fertilizing mate- 
rials are used, they should be placed on or near tiae sur- 
face, and never worked in deeply, for our aim should be 
the production of side or lateral fibers, and not coarse 
perpendicular roots. Furthermore, seedling nut trees 
grown on light, sandy soils or in pure leaf mold, produce 
a far greater number of small fibrous roots than on heavy 
soils, and this is a decided advantage with those which 
are to be transplanted. 

Planting the Nuts. — When the time arrives for 
planting, take the nuts from their winter quarters, and 
after sifting out the sand, sow or drop them in drills, 
covering about two inches deej) with fine soil. With 
the small native varieties my practice has been to sow in 
wide drills ; that is, those made with the blade of a 
common garden hoe, and of the same width, the nuts 
being scattered along the bottom two to three inches 
apart. 

The soil is then drawn in over them and pressed 
down with the back of the hoe, or by passing a light 
garden roller over the surface. If the size of the seed- 
bed is not limited, or only a small quantity of nuts are 
to be sown, then the single row would be preferable, 
because less hand weeding will be needed to subdue the 
weeds, and for all the larger varieties I should certainly 
recommend it, because they are of a more stocky growth. 
The distance allowed between the drills will depend 
somewhat ui^on the implements to be employed in culti- 
vation, as well as how long the seedlings are to remain 
in the seedbed before transplanting, but from two to 
three feet will be found convenient for the ordinary 
modes of cultivation. 



THE CHESTNUT. G9 

If the seedlings make a fair average growth the first 
season they will be from one to three feet high in the 
autumn, and as soon as the leaves have fallen they may 
be taken up, or allowed to remain until the following 
spring and then lifted. But if, from any cause, they 
have made a feeble growth, it is better to let them re- 
main in the seedbed another year. Where large quanti- 
ties of seedlings are raised they are usually taken up 
with a tree-digger drawn by a span of horses or mules, 
but with only a few hundred or a thousand to dig, a 
common spade will answer every purpose ; and if, when 
removed from the seedbed, they are found to have pro- 
duced long perpendicular taproots, these should be 
shortened to about one-half their original length. For 
instance, if these taproots are taken up entire and are 
eighteen to twenty inches long, cut away the lower half, 
whether it consists of one or more long perpendicular 
roots, as this pruning will force the plants to produce a 
greater number of lateral roots, and it is upon these we 
depend mainly for keeping our trees alive and vigorous 
if transplanted when larger and older. All side branches 
should be pruned off close to the main stem, for we aim 
to favor the latter in its growth upward until it reaches 
the required hight for either grafting or forming the 
future head of the tree. 

In taking up seedlings, it is not safe to leave them 
for any considerable time exposed to the sun and drying- 
winds, and they should be carried either to a shed or 
other building while being pruned, and also covered 
with blankets in the field, except during moist, cloudy 
days. A very little drying of the small fibers on such 
plants is always more or less injurious. 

Planting in Nursery Rows. — After the seedlings 
have been taken from the seedbed and pruned, they 
should be set out in nursery rows, four feet apart, and 
the plants about eighteen inches in the row. Trenches 



70 THE NUT CULTUKIST. 

should be oi^ened for the reception of the plants, and 
wide enough to allow all the roots to be spread out in a 
natural position ; and it is well to set a little deeper than 
the seedlings were in the seedbed, because newly plowed 
ground will settle some after the planting is finished, 
although the soil should always be packed firmly about 
the stems of newly set trees, whether large or small. 
The more frequent and thorough the cultivation during 
the ensuing summer, the more rapid will be the growth 
of the trees. 

If the transplanted seedlings have produced any 
considerable number of side branches, — and especially, 
low down, — these may be pruned off at any time during 
the summer, for our object is usually to secure straight, 
upright stems for grafting the following spring, if they 
are large and tall enough ; if not, we may delay this oper- 
ation for another year. Of course, small chestnut stocks 
may be grafted close to the ground, but there is nothing 
really gained by this, for a good strong stock will push 
a cion forward more in one season than a weak stock in 
two or three seasons. . But when the stocks have reached 
a diameter of from three-eighths to one-half an inch 
three or four feet from the ground, they may be grafted, 
but I would prefer to have them a httle over than under 
these sizes. 

Stocks From the Forests. — It is not necessary 
for a man who may need a few chestnut stocks for ex- 
perimental or other purposes, to wait until they can be 
grown from the nut, because these can always be pur- 
chased at the nurseries ; but if one does not wish to 
incur even this small outlay, it may be avoided by ob- 
taining a supply from the forests, provided there are 
any in the neighborhood where chestnut seedlings are to 
be found, and the owner will 23ermit their removal. The 
best wild stocks are usually to be found in recent clear- 
ings, or where the larger trees have been cut off for tiin- 



THE CHESTNUT. 71 

ber, and the underbrusli, composed of seedlings and 
sprouts, is left to grow up again into a forest. There 
are many thousands of acres in New Jersey, New York, 
and other Eastern States, from which the timber is cut 
every twenty or thirty years, and no further attention 
paid to the land or what it produces. Wherever such 
clearings are found containing chestnut trees, good 
stocks can usually be procured by selecting those varying 
from one to two inches in diameter at the ground, and 
if the soil in which they are growing is rather poor and 
stony they will usually have pretty good roots, if care- 
fully taken up. They should be pruned to a single 
stem, and this cut off at a hight of from five to six feet 
or less, then planted where they are to remain perma- 
nently. Such stocks, if carefully taken up and planted, 
will throw out numerous sprouts from their stems dur- 
ing the summer, but all should be rubbed off while small 
and tender, except three or four at the top, and the fol- 
lowing spring, if wanted for this purpose, fchey may be 
grafted in the same way as the young stocks growing in 
the nursery, thereby saving three or four years of time 
in securing bearing trees. Having often employed such 
wildings for stocks with just as good results as with 
those raised from the nuts in nursery rows, I am inclined 
to recommend them, where obtainable, knowing that 
there are thousands of farmers and owners of small 
places in the country who can do likewise, but may have 
never thought it practicable to transplant nut trees from 
the forest, although well aware of the fact that elms, 
maples, and similar kinds were obtained there, and in 
immense numbers, for planting in the streets of villages 
and alongside country highways. 

The Season for Grafting. — The proi:>er time for 
grafting the chestnut is in early spring, just as the buds 
.begin to swell, but not until all danger of freezing 
weather is past, although light frosts will not seriously 



72 THE N"UT CULTURIST. 

injure newly set cions. The grafting may be continued 
while the leaves are unfolding, provided the cions were 
cut early and stored in a cool place, where they remain 
in a dormant state until used. I usually cut the shoots 
wanted for this purpose during the late fall or winter, 
and then pack them away in a cool cellar between layers 
of damp moss {sjoliagiium) to be obtained in almost any 
swamp. Cions may be taken from the tree on the same 
day that they are used, but there is some risk in this, 
because we cannot control the weather, and a week of 
warm rain in spring may delay us in grafting, while it is 
pushing our stocks into leaf; and then, our dormant 
cions are available, while those on the trees are not, ow- 
ing to their expanded and tender buds. 

The shoots used for cions are those of the previous 
season's growth, or as usually termed, one-year-old 
wood ; and in selecting these, endeavor to get such as 
are plump, well ripened and firm. If taken from young 
and very thrifty chestnut trees, there is likely to be a 
considerable portion of the upper end of the shoot that 
is rather soft, sjDongy and immature, and this should be 
discarded, as it would be a waste of time to use it. Of 
course, I am supposing that the grafter is so fortunate 
as to be able to make his own selection of the wood de- 
sired ; if not, then he may be comj)elled to do the best 
he can with that obtained elsewhere. 

Grafting Materials. — The really essential materi- 
als and implements required in grafting nut trees are 
few in number. Grafting wax must be provided, and 
while there are many different compositions used for 
this purpose, I much prefer, for ordinary w^or^ in the 
open air, a wax made after the old formula, and as fol- 
lows : Take one pound of common rosin, one-half pound 
of beeswax, and one-quarter of a pound of beef tallow ; 
melt together and stir enough to insure the thorough 
intermingling of the ingredients, and then set away to 



THE CHESTNUT. 73 

cool, or pour into cold water and work up into cakes or 
rolls and wrap in paper until wanted for use. Larg^er 
quantities may be made if required, preserving the same 
proportions of the materials used. If to be used imme- 
diately in grafting chestnuts and similar trees, then pro- 
cure some sheets of tough manilla paper of only moder- 
ate thickness, and cut this up into sheets about six 
inches wdde and a foot long. While the fresh-made 
w^ax is melted, take an old and rather stiff paint brush, 
dip it into the hot wax and coat the joapers thinly 
with it, and then spread them out on shelves or else- 
where to cool, and let them remain undisturbed until 
wanted for use. Any thin kind of cloth may be used 
instead of paper, but I prefer the latter because it will 
yield to the pressure of the enlarging stock and cion 
when growth begins, and it will not be necessary to ex- 
amine the grafted stock so frequently during the sum- 
mer to prevent girdling, as is usually the case w^hen a 
tougher material is employed for wrappers. Before these 
waxed sheets are taken into the field for use, lay each 
one separately on a piece of board with the waxed side 
up, and with the point of a sharj) knife cut them cross- 
ways into narrow strips of from one-half to three-fourths 
of an inch wide. But for convenience in handling, 
insert the point of the knife a half -inch from one edge, 
but cut the other clean through, so that the whole sheet 
of strips can be lifted together. 

In early spring there is usually more or less windy 
weather, and if waxed sheets of paper are taken out into 
the field unprotected they are very likely to become tan- 
gled up and useless. To prevent this, procure a number 
of large but very shallow paper boxes, such as can usu- 
ally be had at the stores and groceries of almost any vil- 
lage, and in these place a single layer of the cut waxed 
sheets, where they will be protected from wind and' dust 
until removed for immediate use. 



'J'4: THE NUT CULTUEIST. 

Other kinds of grafting wax can, of course, be used, I 
and are usually procurable at the seed stores or made at ' 
home, and I have given their composition and the formu- 
las for their manufacture in my work, " The Propagation 
of Plants ;" but, as I haye already said, this old standard 
kind of wax is just as good as any other, although a little 
more troublesome to use on account of its sticky consist- 
ency. Eaflfia or bass may be employed as ligatures for 
holding the cions in place, then covered with Leport's 
or other kinds of liquid grafting wax ; but when these 
are employed it will be necessary to examine the grafted 
trees frequently, in order to cut the ligatures to prevent 
girdling. 

The best implement for grafting is a common broad- 
blade pocket knife. One with a blade three to three 
and a half inches long and three-fourths of an inch wide, 
is a handy size. « It should be of the best material for 
grafting chestnuts, because the wood of this tree is 
coarse-grained, and so filled with siliceous matter that it 
soon dulls the keenest blade, and the grafter will, of 
necessity, have to use his whetstone frequently. In 
grinding the knife-blade have the sides a true level, from 
the back to the edge, especially the underside when to be 
held in the right hand with the edge towards the body. 
The importance of having a blade of this form will soon 
become apparent when the grafter attempts to make a 
true sloping cut on either stock or cion, and it would be 
well for the novice to practice for an hour or two in 
splicing some worthless twigs before commencing upon 
more valuable material, for even an expert workman is 
very likely to make some awkward dissections and joints 
when out of practice. The professional propagator of 
plants may think such details are unimportant, but I 
wish to impress upon the amateur that in grafting nut 
trees we are dealing with kinds that will not respond 
satisfactorily to such free manipulations as the apple 



THE CHESTNUT. 



75 



and pear; consequently, better and more careful lian- 
dling is required to insure success. 

When ready to begin operations in the field, take 
out a quantity of the shoots to be used for cions, and 
keep them wrapped in damj) cloth or 
packed in a box, basket or other recep- 
tacle with wet moss, to prevent drying. 
If any considerable number of stocks are 
to be grafted, then an assistant or two 
will be required, for the grafter cannot 
be alternately handling the 
knife and cions and wax, and 
do good work, but if he only 
inserts the cions and his as- 
sistant applies the waxed lig- 
atures, the operation will pro- 
ceed more rajjidly and satis- 
factorily. 

Modes of Grafting. — 
The only two modes of graft- 
ing that I shall recommend 
for the chestnut are the splice 
or whip graft, and the cleft 
or wedge graft. In the splice 
graft, the cion and stock 
should be of about the same 
FIG. 13.- diameter, but if there is any 
SPLICE GRAFT, differcuce let it be in favor of 
the stock, and this the largest. In this 
mode of grafting, the stock is cut off with 
an upward slope, exposing two or three fig. i4. splice 
inches of wood ; and about midway on graft inserted. 
this slope a small cleft or incision is made, forming 
what is called a ^'tongue." The cion is then cut in the 
same way from the upper end downward, with a corre- 
sponding incision, as seen in Fig. 13. Then the two are 



76 THE NUT CULTUllIST. 

neatly fitted together, the tongue on one entering the cleft 
on the other, making a close joint, as shown in Fig. 14. 
The bark of the cion and stock should be exactly even on 
one side at least ; and if they are of the same size, so 
much the better, for then they will be even on both sides ; 
but we cannot expect to secure such perfect joints on 
every stock, or any considerable number, although we 
aim to do so as frequently as possible. When the cion 
is fitted, the Avaxed paper is applied by placing one end 
of the strip at or near the base of the splice, then wind 
it spirally and firmly upward until the entire wound is 
covered. If one of the waxed strips is not enough use 
another, for it will do no harm if they are double on a 
part or all over the joint. The cion should not be much 
over four inches long, and a less length is preferable, 
but not so convenient for handling. One good prom- 
inent bud on each cion is sufficient, and this left near 
the upper end, but on short-jointed wood we may use 
cions with two or more buds without greatly increasing 
their length. After the cion is in place and every part 
of the splice is carefully sealed with the waxed paper, 
place a small j^iece or a little wax on the upper end of 
the cion, just enough to cover the exposed wound and 
prevent evaporation of the natural moisture or sap in 
the wood. I have found, in practice, that this sealing 
the end of the cion is time well spent ; in fact, to leave 
any of the wood cells exposed to the air endangers the 
success of the operation. 

Young shoots from a quarter of an inch in diame- 
ter up to five-eighths may be used for cions, in splice 
grafting ; and with a little care in the selection of stocks, 
or by cutting them off a few inches higher or lower, we 
may readily manage to have them nearly of the same 
diameter to match our cions, whether they are large or 
small, and such unions will soon heal over, leaving no 
scar at the point where the two have been joined. 



THE CHESTNUT. 



77 




If the new growth or shoot to be employed as a cion 
is slender and feeble, then the base of the cion may be of 
two-year-old wood, leaving just a bud or two on the 
upper end of the one-year shoot. But it will seldom be 
necessary to employ such cions in grafting the chestnut, 
although it may occur when seeking to secure wood for 
propagation, from very old trees which have made only 
a feeble annual growth. 

Cleft Grafting. — This method is employed princi- 
pally upon stocks or branches of trees too large for splic- 
ing. The stock is first cut off at the 
point where it is desirable to insert the 
cion; then split with a knife, being 
careful to divide it, so that the edges 
will be kept smooth, and not rough 
and ragged (Fig. 15). When the knife 
blade is withdrawn, the cleft may be 
kept open with a hard wood wedge, 
if the stock is too lare^e to admit of 
opening it with the point of the knife cion. 
when ready to insert the cion. The cion may be three 
or four inches long, containing two or more buds ; the 
lower end is cut wedge-shape, as shown in Fig. 16, and 
slightly the thickest on the side to be set 
against the bark of the stock. In stocks 
of an inch or more in diameter, two cions, 
one on each side, may be inserted (Fig. 
17), and if both grow one should be cut 
away, else the tree, in later years, will be 
very likely to divide or break apart at this 
point. In stocks of an inch or less in di- 
ameter, one cion is sufficient, the top of 
the stock to be cut off with an upward 
slope, as shown in Fig. 18. After the cions are inserted, 
the entire exposed surface of the wood must be covered 
with grafting wax or waxed paper, and usually both may 



FIG. 15. 
STOCK. 




78 THE is^UT CULTURIST. 

be employed with benefito All the yarious forms of 
grafting in the oj^en air, as described in my work on the 
'^Propagation of Plants," may be employed on the 
chestnut, but the two here giyen will probably answer 
just as well as others for those who may have occasion to 
propagate this tree. 

Success in Grafting. — The question has been 
asked many times, and will, no doubt, be frequently 
repeated, ''What percentage of cions should one accus- 
tomed to grafting make grow ?" As there are no statis- 
tics upon which to base an answer to the question, I can 
only give my own personal ex|)erience, and this leads me 
to say that seventy-five per cent may be considered an 
excellent, if not a high ayerage. In some seasons this 
has been exceeded by at least ten per cent, while in 
others it has fallen as much or more below, with no 
apparent reason for the difference. Ninety-five per cent 
of the cions may push their buds, or even make a growth 
of several inches, then begin to die off; consequently, 
the time to count your successfully grafted trees is in 
the autumn, and not in spring or midsummer, as it is to 
be feared some are in the habit of doing when making a 
report upon what they call success in grafting nut trees. 

Growth of Cions. — Cions set in strong stocks 
usually make a very rapid and vigorous growth, and if 
left unchecked, there is danger of loss by being broken 
or blown off by strong winds during the summer and 
autumn. To prevent this as much as possible, it has 
been my practice to pinch off the ends of the young 
shoots when they are about two ^feet long. Lateral 
shoots will then push out freely, and in some seasons it 
may be necessary to check their growth in the same way 
later. On feeble stocks, or those quite small, and with 
the less yigorous growing varieties, no summer pinching 
or pruning will be required. My experimental grounds 
are well protected upon the north and west, not only by 



THE CHESTKUT. 79 

rising ground, but by Norway spruce and American 
arbor vit88 hedges twice as high as the grafted chestnut 
trees in the nursery rows, and yet almost every season 
some of the stronger-growing grafts are blown out or 
broken off by the wind. After the first season there is 
little danger of injury, probably because the unio«i be- 
tween cion and stock has become stronger. 

Grafting Chestnut Sprouts. — In grafting the 
vigorous sprouts that always spring up from the stumps 
of old trees that have been recently cut down, we may 
reasonably expect a prodigious growth of the cion the 
first season, as well as in succeeding ones, and if all goes 
well with them we will secure large bearing trees in' a 
very few years, but such stocks are only available where 
old trees are sacrificed for their timber or other purposes. 
Having a few such sprouts on my place, they have been 
utilized from time to time in testing some of the newer 
varieties. In one instance I allowed the cion, set on a 
sprout about one inch in diameter, six feet from the 
base, to grow unchecked throughout the season, as it 
was in a protected position, and in the fall the entire 
length of the main stem and lateral branches was sixty- 
five feet, and all from one bud on a cion set early in the 
spring. The third year this tree bore about a peck of 
very large nuts, to which I shall have occasion to refer 
again under "Injurious Insects." 

Grafting Large Trees. — Grafting large chestnut 
trees with stems of six inches or more in diameter, and 
with large spreading heads, is possible, but far from 
being economical or practicable, especially if the trees 
stand out where they will get the full sweep of prevail- 
ing winds. By cutting off and grafting a few of the 
branches at a time for several seasons in succession, one 
may, in a few years, succeed in getting the entire head 
grafted, but there is constant danger of some of the cions 
being broken out if they make a vigorous growth, leav- 



80 THE ISTUT CULTUEIST. 

ing a distorted and ill-shapen tree. Having experi- 
mented somewhat in this line with variable success, I 
am not inclined to recommend it, because ten trees can 
be raised to a bearing age on moderate-sized stocks with 
less labor, and the results will be more satisfactory. 

pudding Chestnuts. — I have frequently tried 
budding chestnut stocks as described for the almond, 
and extensively employed with other kinds of fruit trees. 
But the results of my experiments have been unsatisfac- 
tory, although buds were set from very early in summer 
until late in the fall, also on young and old wood ; but 
so few have taken and remained alive over winter that 
my personal experience in this mode of propagation will 
not justify its recommendation to others. Perhaps there 
is some secret connected with the operation that I have 
not yet discovered, but which is known to other propa- 
gators. Of course, budding with semi-dormant wood and 
buds in spring, as soon as the bark will peel from the wood, 
is practicable, but there is really nothing to be gained 
by this mode of ^propagation over that of grafting. 

Transplanting and Pruning. — There is no tree 
that will bear or withstand more severe pruning than 
the chestnut. If trees of one or five hundred years of 
age are cut down, the stumps are sure to throw up an 
immense number of sprouts from adventitious buds, as 
these are readily produced at almost any point on the 
sapwood or alburnum under the bark ; and yet, with this 
inherent vitality and faculty of recuperation, the chest- 
nut tree does not naturally, like many other deciduous 
kinds, throw up suckers from the roots. Keepmg this 
peculiarity in mind, the cultivator has only to use his 
pruning knife freely upon the trees to secure almost any 
form desired. But after the trees have become well 
established, very little pruning will be required, except 
to occasionally thin out or remove a rambling branch, to 
secure a well-balanced and shapely head to the tree. 



THE CHESTNLT. 81 

In transplanting from the nursery rows, after graft- 
ing, and especially if the trees are of some considerable 
size and large enough to set where they are to remain 
permanently, there is sure to be a loss of roots, and 
those that are preserved are likely to remain for a short 
time inactive and inca]3able of absorbing nutrients from 
the soil to which they are transferred, or until new root- 
lets are produced. Under these conditions we aim to 
favor the roots by removing or cutting back the greater 
part of the branches. No matter how carefully such 
trees are lifted and their roots protected during the 
operation of transplanting, it will check the growth, 
and the best and most practical restorative is severe 
pruning of the top, and every young shoot of the previ- 
ous season's growth should be cut back to within three 
or four inches of its base. I am presuming that the 
trees have been grafted only one year, but if older, and 
the cions were set high enough to begin the formation of 
the head of the tree, then the entire young growth may 
be cut away and some of the older wood, but of course 
not below the graft. All broken roots must be cut off ; 
and the ends of the larger ones, roughly severed with 
the spade or other implements employed in digging, 
should have their wounds smoothed with a sharp knife. 

Frequent transplanting and root-pruning young 
nursery stock tends to keep up a proper root system, 
and an abundance of small fibrous roots near the main 
stem, and trees so treated are worth much more, if to be 
transplanted later, than those left undisturbed ; but 
while the latter may be twice the size of the former 
when of the same age, they are not worth half as much 
to the purchaser, or for transplanting in our own 
grounds. 

Staking Transplanted Trees. — This is always 
necessary for recently planted trees, if they are of any 
considerable size, or from six feet high and upwards. 
6 



82. THE i^UT CULTUEIST. 

It not supported by stakes they are sure to be swayed 
about, if not thrown oyer, by strong winds in summer. 
A strong stake, two or three inches in diameter, would 
better be set at the time of planting the tree, thereby 
avoiding breaking off or crushing the roots, as frequently 
happens when stakes are driven down among them later 
in the season. Set the stakes or drive into the subsoil 
six inches from the stem, then use strips of cloth, sacks, 
carpet, or some similar material, for tying, because liard 
cord or twine will be very likely to cut through the ten- 
der bark from the constant swaying about of the stems. 
AVind the strips around the stem, and then cross between 
it and the stake once or twice, to p)revent the tree from 
pressing against or coming in contact with the stake. 
Eenew the stakes and tying materials, if necessary, until 
the trees become firmly established, and provided with 
lateral roots large enough to keep them in an upright 
position. 

Mulching. — Placing a few forkfuls of coarse stable 
manure, half -rotted straw, leaves, or any similar mate- 
rial, on the surface about the stems of recently planted 
trees, will prove very beneficial, in not only keeping- 
down the weeds, but aiding greatly in retaining mois- 
ture in the soil about the roots. The application of 
some such material as a mulch is all the more important 
with the chestnut, because these trees are always to be 
planted in a naturally dry and well drained soil. 

Distance Between Trees. — How far apart chest- 
nut trees should be planted will depend very much uj^on 
the species and varieties, some growing to immense 
trees, while others are only fair-sized shrubs at maturity. 
But for the larger-growing varieties, forty to fifty feet 
between the trees is none too much space, when planted 
for their nuts and not for timber. If set in a single row 
along the public highways, farm lanes or around the 
outbuildings, to serve as shade or ornament, and for their 



THE CHESTNUT. 83 

nuts, then about forty feet will answer very well for the 
larger- growing species ; and I will arid that, in my opin- 
ion, all the larger kinds of nut trees will give better 
returns if placed in such positions, than when set in 
orchards or in compact masses. When set in single 
rows or widely scattered, they are less liable to be at- 
tacked by insects and diseases, while they will still serve 
the double purpose of being both ornamental and useful. 
I must admit, however, that in my experimental grounds, 
the trees are planted only twenty feet apart, but with 
the expectation of soon cutting out every alternate 
specimen. 

Soil and Climate. — The chestnut thrives best in 
light, well-drained soils, and those containing a large 
proportion of sand or decomposed quartz, slate, or vol- 
canic scoria ; but it is rarely found, nor does4t succeed, 
in heavy clays, limestone soils, or on the rich western 
prairies, where we might think it would grow most lux- 
uriantly. That limestone soils are inimical to the chest- 
nut has often been disputed, but my own observations, 
which have been somewhat extensive in years and range 
of country, rather confirm the impression that this tree 
avoids land containing any considerable percentage of 
lime. It is true that chestnut groves, and sometimes 
extensive forests, are found on hills and ridges overlying 
limestone, but a careful examination of the soil among 
the trees will show that it is a drift deposit containing 
little or no lime. Such groves can be found in all the 
southern tier of counties of New York, also among the 
hills of northern and western parts of New Jersey, and 
thence west and south along the Blue Eidge and Alle- 
ghany mountains to the Carolinas, and westward in 
Tennessee and Kentucky. The chestnut is sometimes 
found in New Jersey and other northern Atlantic States 
growing in considerable abundance near streams only 
a few feet above sea level, but when found in such 



84 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

situations the subsoil is invariably sand, gravel or porous 
shale. 

The range of climate in which the native sweet 
chestnut thrives is quite extensive, as it is found spar- 
ingly in Maine in latitude 44°, extending westward, — 
but not very abundant on this line, — through New Eng- 
land and New York^ crossing the Niagara river, skirting 
the north shore of Lake Erie in Canada, and thence into 
southern Michigan, but does not reach Illinois. Erom 
this line southward it increases in abundance in Vir- 
ginia, western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee and 
Kentucky. But in following this tree southward we 
meet another indigenous species, widely known as the 
chinquapin {CoMa7iea piLmila). This species is indig- 
enous to southern New Jersey, and sparingly in parts of 
Pennsylvania, becoming more plentiful as we proceed 
southward, the two species named overlapping and in 
part occcupying the same region ; but the chinquapin 
extends further south, and also to the westward, near its 
northern limits crossing the Mississippi into southern 
Missouri, then extends south again, becoming quite 
abundant in Arkansas. 

The European chestnut, in its' many varieties, ex- 
tends over about the same number of degrees of latitude 
in Europe as our species do here, although reaching a 
higher latit-ude in countries bordering on the Atlantic, 
as shown in the old chestnut trees of England. The 
Oriental chestnut has also a very wide range, but the 
limits are not so well known as those of the Eurojoean 
and American species ; but a study of its geographical 
distribution is of considerable importance, now that we 
are importing these nuts for cultivation. The same is 
also true of the European varieties, and the cultivator 
who neglects to take this matter into consideration will 
fail to secure whatever advantages may have accrued 
from acclimation, an agency which, undoubtedly, has 



THE CHESTN'UT. 85 

been active and continuous in modifying and changing 
the primary characteristics of these plants during un- 
known ages. 

To more fully impress upon the reader the impor- 
tance of care in the selection of materials to be employed 
in any pursuit with which he is not perfectly familiar, 
I am prompted to relate the story of my first personal 
experience in chestnut culture, as it may serve as a warn- 
ing to others who may attem2:)t to raise these nuts in a 
cold climate. 

At the time of purchasing the farm which has been 
my home for the past thirty years, nut trees of various 
kinds were on my list of things wanted, and the chest- 
nut occupied a leading position, probably because there 
were already many old and large native trees on the 
place. My first planting consisted of a number of im- 
ported seedlings, obtained from a well-known French 
nursery. The trees were three or four years old, very 
stocky and vigorous, and they made a good growth the 
first season ; but the following winter the young shoots 
were all frozen down to old wood, with the exception of 
one tree, and thinking "that this might prove hardy, 
cions were taken from it and set in thrifty sprouts grow- 
ing in a grove near by. The cions made rajoid growth, 
and from one of these I soon had a large tree, which re- 
mained in good health for twenty years, but during all 
that time it produced but one bur, containing two half- 
developed nuts. Why it was unfruitful I do not pretend 
to know, but it was certainly not for want of comiDany, for 
it had large native chestnut trees all about it, and these 
bearing heavy crops. The seedling trees i)lanted in the 
orchard also failed to be fruitful, and were finally dug 
up and burned. Thus ended my first experiment in the 
cultivation of the European chestnut. Had my location 
been farther south and in a milder climate, the experi- 
ment might have ended differently, but I am relating ex- 



,86 THE i^UT CULTURIST. 

perience, and not attempting to guess what might have 
been the results under more favorable conditions. In 
the meantime, however, I had seen a few trees of the 
Japan chestnut bearing on Long Island, and had re- 
ceived sj^ecimens of the Numbo and Paragon, two now 
well-known and superior varieties of the European spe- 
cies, although raised in this country. These varieties 
were sec«ured, and succeeded so well that I have contin- 
ued to add others from time to time, or as soon as trees 
or cions were obtainable. 

The success which appears to have attended the 
propagation and dissemination of these two varieties of 
European parentage has awakened considerable interest 
in chestnut culture, besides attracting the attention of 
those interested in such matters to the fact that there 
are many old trees of the same or similar origin scattered 
about the country, awaiting the coming nut culturist to 
propagate them and make known their merits. 

It may be well, before leaving this subject, to re- 
mind the novice in chestnut culture that seedlings of 
these hardy and productive descendants of the European 
species will not come true from the nut or seed, and 
while it will be admitted that the chances are somewhat 
better for procuring a hardy variety from such nuts 
than from those imported, still, there is no certainty of 
any considerable number being equal in hardiness or 
other respects to the parent tree. There is an inherent 
tendency, in tree seedlings of all kinds, to revert to the 
wild form or type, and the chestnut is no exception to 
this rule. 

Species of Chestnut. — What is called a "species," 
among plants, is a particular form or type supposed to 
have descended from one original stock, whether this 
was composed of one or more individuals. But varia- 
tions doubtless occurred at the first inception or multi- 
plication of the original, but so long as the offsprings do 



THE CHESTNUT. 87 

not differ so widely as to be untraceable to the proemial 
types, they are held to be varieties of one species. 

Whether all the chestnuts found in the various 
countries of the world are descendants of one original 

o 

tree or group of trees is now beyond our ability to deter- 
mine ; consequently, what are now termed species rests 
very much upon the opinions of botanists, as may read- 
ily be demonstrated by consulting the works of hundreds 
of authors who have essayed to describe and classify the 
plants of any locality or country, and this, too, without 
reaching an absolute finality acceptable to their contempo- 
raries, or at all likely to share a better fate with posterity. 

For many years after botany began to be recognized 
as a science, the common American sweet chestnut was 
considered a distinct species, but in recent years it has 
been relegated to the position of a widely distributed 
variety of the European chestnut, and it is so described 
and classified in most of the botanical works of the pres- 
ent time, and under such names as Castanea vesca, vari- 
ety Americana; Castanea sativa, variety Americana; 
Castanea vulgaris, variety A7nerica7ia, etc. 

The Asiatic species or varieties — under whichever 
cognomen we may find them described in botanical 
works — have fared little better than our American kinds, 
for some botanists have described the Japan chestnut as 
a distinct species, while others only as a widely diver- 
gent variety of the common European chestnut. 

I regret that there should be any need of giving so 
much space to this matter of species and varieties, yet 
presuming that far the larger number of my readers will 
not be professional botanists, nor persons with a botan- 
ical library at hand to consult for unfamiliar terms, I 
have thought this explanation in regard to classification 
might assist them in making clear the apparent confu- 
sion of names which, in the main, are only synonyms. 
Furthermore, I purpose retaining some of the older spe- 



88 



THE NUT CULTUEIST. 



cific names of the distinct groups of varieties, whether 
it be strictly in accord with the ideas of eminent author- 
ities or otherwise, because it will be more convenient to 

do so, and certain phases will 
thus be made clearer to the 
practical cultivators of nut 
trees, for whom this work is 
written. My wish is to assist 
those who do not know, but 
want to learn how to obtain, 
plant and i^iake nut trees grow 
and bear remunerative crops. 
Castakea America is" a 
(American siueet chestnut). — 
Leaves oblong-lanceolate, ser- 
rate, with rather coarse teeth, 
each terminated with a feeble 
prickle or spine ; smooth on 
both sides (Fig. 19). Burs 
thickly covered with sharp, 
branching spines a half inch 
long or less, from a fleshy 
green envelope, becoming 
hard and somewhat woody; 
opening by four valves or di- 
visions Avhen mature. Usu- 
ally three nuts in each bur, 
the center one flattened by 
compression, the two outer 
ones plano-convex. Shell 
LEAF. tough and leathery, dark 

brown, smooth, or more or less inverted, with a silvery 
pubescence from the point downward ; variable in size 
from five-eighths to an inch in diameter. Kernel sweet 
and fine-grained. A very large and common tree in the 
Middle and JSTorthern States, living to a great age. 




I FIG. 19. AMEKICAX CHESTNUT 



THE CHESTisUT, 



89 




FIG. 20. SPIKE OF BUKS OF BUSH CHIXQUAPIX. C nandt 



90 



THE l^VT CULTUETST. 



Castas EA naxa {biif^h cliinq^iapin). — Leaves oyal- 
lanceolate, serrate, with feeble prickles on teeth and often 

wanting; pale 
green above and 
white tomentose 
underneath. 
Burs in racemes, 
small; husk 
thin, oj^ening by 
two divisions or 
lobes, instead of 
four, as in the 
last species; 
spines short, 
somewhat scat- 
tering, sessile or 
very short-stalk- 
ed ; nuts small, 
pointed, brown, 
smooth, tliin- 
shelled, solitary 
or only one in a 
our. Kernel 
fine-grained, 
sweet and deli- 
cious. Common 
from J^ortli Car- 
olina southward 
to Florida, in 
dry soils and 
barrens. A me- 

SPIKE OF CHINQUAPIN CHESTNUT BUK. dlUm-SlZed 

c. -pumiia. shrub or low- 

spreading bush, rarely reaching a hight of ten feet, the 
slender twigs usually tomentose. A spike of burs and 
leaves of this species are seen in Fig. 20. 




'/1l\\ff 




FIG. 21. 



THE CHESTNUT. 



91 



Castakea pumtla (chinquapin chestnut). — Leaves 
oblong-lanceolate, short or acu'.ely pointed, coarsely 
serrate, with in- 
curved pointed 
teeth, green above, 
tomentose under- 
neath. Burs in ra- 
cemes (Fig. 21), 
two-yalved. Some- 
times the burs are 
single, as shown in 
Fig. 22. Spines 
branching from a 
short stalk ; nuts 
solitary, oyoid, 
pointed, with dark- 
brown polished 
shell. Kernel fine- 
grained, sweet and 
excellent. A medi- 
um-sized tree twenty 
to forty feet high ; 
in rich, soils from 
New Jersey, South- 
e r n Pennsylvania 
and southward, to 
Georgia, and spar- 
ingly westward to 
Arkansas. 

Oastais'ea sa- 
tiya oe v e s c a 
{European chest- 
nut). — Leaves ob- 
long -lanceolate, chinquapin chestnut. C. jnimlla. 
pointed, coarsely serrate, with rather long incurved 
spines on the teeth; smooth on both sides, but glossy 




FIG. 22. SINGLE BUR, NUT AND LEAF OF 



92 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 




FIG. 23. JAPAN CHESTKUT LEAFo 



THE CHESTNUT. 9? 

and dark green above ; thicker and of more substance 
than in any other species. Burs very large, with thick 
husk, and long, stout, branching spines, from a woody 
stem at the base ; shell of nut thick, tough and leathery, 
of a dark mahogany brown ; kernel enclosed in a rather 
tough but thin skin that is usually intensely bitter, a 
characteristic that readily distinguishes this from any of 
our species. Trees of large size, rather stocky ; young 
shoots coarse, with smooth bark; buds prominent, 
glossy, and of a light yellowish-brow^n color. 

Castakea Japokica {Japa7i chestnut). — Leaves 
lanceolate-oblong (Fig. 23), finely serrate, indentations 
shallow, and the teeth slender pointed ; pale green above 
and silvery or rusty white -underneath. Burs with a 
very thin husk ; spines short, widely branching from a 
short stem. Nuts large to very large, usually three in a 
bur ; shell thin, and of a light brown color ; the inner 
skin thin, fibrous, but not as bitter as in the European 
varieties, and the kernel somewhat finer grained and 
sweeter. Trees of moderate growth and are said to rarely 
exceed fifty feet high in Japan. The growth is slender 
in comparison with the European or American chestnut, 
and the habit is decidedly bnshy, tlie new growth of the 
season nsually producing a number of lateral twigs late 
in summer. The leaves here seem to be more persistent, 
probably because the season is not long enough to insure 
thorough ripening. 

The reader will please bear in mind that this de- 
scription of the Japan chestnut is drawn from the intro- 
duced varieties or those raised from the imported nuts, 
and not from the trees growing in their native habitats. 
All the varieties that I have seen appear to belong to 
one type or species, and they come from the warmer 
parts of that country ; but Prof. Sargent, in his *^ Forest 
Flora of Japan," says that while the largest nuts appear 
in the markets of Kobe and Osaka, from whence they 



94 THE iq^UT CULTURIST. 

come to this country, there are varieties offered for sale 
in tlie markets of Aomori, which is much further north, 
and these, he thinks, would produce a more hardy race 
of varieties than those we have already received from 
that country. As a race, all the Japan chestnuts are 
very precocious, the trees coming into bearing early 
whether raised from the nut or propagated by grafting. 

Native Varieties. (Group One). — While it is well 
known that our American sweet chestnut varies widely 
in the size, flavor, form, color and general appearance of 
the nuts, no special effort has been made to select and 
perpetuate the most distinct and valuable varieties. 
This is to be regretted, inasmuch as the opportunities 
for making such selections, and preserving and ^^ropa- 
gating those most worthy of it, are rapidly passing away 
with the destruction of our chestnut forests ; but there 
is still time to do something in this direction, and per- 
haps save a few varieties as valuable as those already 
destroyed. It is to be hoped that every man who knows 
of a large variety, will either propagate it himself, or 
point it out to some one who is sufficiently interested to 
do so. If proper attention was given to the raising of 
seedlings, we might soon secure many improved native 
varieties, and I would urge this mode of propagation 
upon all whose circumstances and surroundings will ad- 
mit of it, and especially upon the young men who j)Os- 
sess the talent and inclination to make such experiments ; 
for there is a wide and fertile field open to them, ana 
they can scarcely fail to reap a rich reward for their 
labors, if applied with earnestness and a moderate 
amount of intelligence. 

BuELESS CHESTi^ruT. — This is a peculiar variety or 
freak, in which the burs are merely shallow cups ujpon 
which the nuts rest, and at no stage of their growth are 
they enclosed in a husk or bur. The nuts are small and 
usually perfect, but being unprotected they are preyed 



THE CHESTNUT. 95 

ui^on by birds and squirrels as soon as the kernels are 
well formed, few escaping to reach maturity, This 
chestnut is of no economic value, but is worth preserv- 
ing as an illustration of extremes in variation. The 
original tree was found in the forest near Freehold, 
Green Co., N. Y., by Mr. Harry Bagley, to whom I am 
indebted for cions sent me in the spring of 1885. 
Another and very similar variety was found about the 
same time on Staten Island, N. Y., and this also has 
been propagated, to a limited extent, as a curiosity. 

Hathaway. — A very large and handsome native 
variety, and one of the very best. A strong and vigorous 
grower, and productive. Raised by Mr. B. Hathaway, 
the veteran and widely known pomologist of Little 
Prairie Ronde, Mich. Some thirty years ago Mr. Hath- 
away purchased a half bushel of native chestnuts of a 
dealer in Ohio, and from these raised a large number of 
trees for sale ; but a few were reserved for planting out 
on his own grounds, and when these came into bearing 
the one named here was selected for propagation, because 
of its large size and productiveness. 

Phillips. — A large and handsome variety of excel- 
lent flavor, with a very smooth, dark-brown shell. 
Grafted trees exceedingly vigorous, upright growth, as 
well as precocious and productive. The original tree is 
growing in the grounds of the late Whitman Phillips, at 
Ridgewood, N. J. Several years ago my attention was 
called to a number of large varieties of the chestnut 
growing in and near the village, and from these I ob- 
tained cions for propagation ; but I name only one at 
this time, reserving the others until more fully tested. 

This is rather an insignificant number of varieties 
to be named among the many hundreds that are to be 
found in almost every town or neighborhood whei'e the 
chestnut is a native, and yet I have been able to find 
only one named in nurserymen's catalogues as being 



96 THE iJ^UT CULTUEIST. 

propagated by grafting. It is true that nearly all deal- 
ers in trees offer seedling American chestnuts, which 
may mean good, bad or indifferent yarieties when the 
trees come into bearing. Among all of the many thou- 
sands that have been raised and i^lanted in the East and 
West, beyond the natural range of the chestnut, as, for 
instance, in Missouri, Kansas and Iowa, there must be 
some distinct and valuable varieties worthy of names 
and propagation. There are not only distinct varieties 
to be found in every forest, but in some instances the 
entire product of an extended area of country are dis- 
tinct in their color, size, and general appearance of the 
nuts produced ; as, for instance, in the woolly chestnuts 
of the Piedmont district of Virginia, these being so 
nearly cover-ed with a white down that they remind one 
of popcorn. Hundreds of bushels of these woolly chest- 
nuts come to our markets, and among them I have often 
found very large specimens, but so far as known, no 
effort has been made to 23erj)etuate them. 

So far as can now be determined, the wild or orig- 
inal European chestnut was much inferior in its flavor, 
and little, if any, larger than our American sweet chest- 
nut ; but by continued selections of the largest for plant- 
ing, and propagation by grafting, it has attained to its 
present size and excellence ; but this system of improv- 
ing our native varieties has scarcely, as yet, been at- 
tempted, a fact which does not, in the least, redound to 
our credit. 

Bush CHiKQUAPii^ {C. nana. Muhlenberg). — Of 
this I do not know of any named varieties in cultivation. 
Plants are occasionally seen in cultivated grounds, and I 
have one in my garden growing in a sheltered position, 
where it has fruited for several years. It is a pretty, 
round-headed, silvery -leaved bush, about six feet high; 
ornamental, if not specially valuable for other purposes, 
although the little sweet nuts are always acceptable. As 



THE CHESTNUT. 



97 



a rule, the seedlings of this sj^ecies are not hardy in the 
Northern States, but an occasional one will survive if 
planted in a light, porous soil and a protected situation. 

Common" chinquapin {C. Jy?^m^7«. Miller). — This 
is a small tree, sometimes thirty to forty feet high ; 
found sparingly as far north as central New Jersey, and 
on Long Island. It is more common in cultivation than 
the bush chinquapin, probably because more hardy and 
better known, but I do not know of any improved varie- 
ties that have been disseminated under distinct names 
except the one hereinafter described. 

Among many seedlings raised, of this species, I have 
selected one which good judges of such things have 
thought worthy of propagation, and as I do not raise 
plants for sale, no 
one will be likely 
to accuse me of 
having any selfish 
motives, further 
than a pardonable 
pride in producing 
something worthy 
of perpetuation. 
Furthermore, a s 
an earnest of my 
confidence in its 
merits, I have dis- 
tributed it under 
my own name. 

Fuller's 
chinquapin. — 
Leaves large, 
broadly oval, pointed, coarsely serrate, pale green above, 
clear silvery white below. Bark on main stem ; branches 
and twigs smooth, light gray, with numerous white 
dots. The young twigs thick and stocky, cylindrical, 
7 




FIG. 24. BUKS OF FULLER^S CHIXQUAPIN-. 
OlSE-HALF NATURAL SIZE. 



98 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 



with moderately i^rominent, grayish buds. Burs in long 
racemes (Fig. 24), very large for this species ; spines 
long, strong, branching and sharp. Nuts only one in 
each bur, rather short, broad, top-shaped, with blunt 
point; shell very smooth, glossy, almost black; kernel 
fine-grained and sweet. Eipens early, or with the earli- 
est of the native sweet chestnuts. The original tree is 




FIG. 25. rULLEK'S CHINQUAPIN. FIVE YEARS OLD FROM NUT. 

only six years old, twice transj^lanted, and is now ten 
feet high, with a head fully as broad, and as shown in 
Fig. 25. Although growing in a rather exjDosed j^osi- 
tion, it has never been injured by lov>r temperature in 
winter or a high one in summer. It has thus far been 
the most rapid-growing chestnut tree in my grounds, 
although given no sjDecial care. Whether it will eventu- 
ally become a large tree, or soon cease to extend, is^ of 



THE CHESTN-UT. 99 

course, a question to be answered at some future time, 
but from jDresent indications this tree will be well worthy 
of cultivation as an ornamental shade tree, even if we 
leave out of the account its rapid growth, productive- 
ness, and delicious little nuts, which will be very accept- 
able for home use, if not possessing any great commer- 
cial value. 

European Varieties. — In the use of this term I 
wish it understood that the varieties named and described 
in this group are all of American origin ; that is, raised 
in this country from seed. At the same time they are 
descendants of the European species. They are, in other 
words, "Survivals of the Attests," the few that have 
survived the many being raised from imported nuts (per- 
haps one out of a thousand) that tests and time have shown 
were adapted to our climate. There may be many other 
varieties scattered about the country which are worthy 
of a name and' of propagation, but I can speak only of 
those I have been able to procure, or that have been 
brought to my notice. 

In describing the following varieties, and in seeking 
to get at the facts relating to their origin, name and 
history, the reader will please bear in mind that there 
has been no previous attempt to arrange or classify these 
semi-American varieties. Furthermore, there is much 
confusion in regard to the true names of a number of 
them, and the most I can say is that I have endeavored, 
under the circumstances, to get as near the truth as jdos- 
sible. Could I defer writing this chapter ten years, some 
moot points might be cleared up, but as this is out of 
the question I must follow the light already in my 
possession. 

To Mr. John R. Parry, of Parry, N. J., I am greatly 
indebted, not only for specimens of new and rare varie- 
ties, but also notes relating to the history of several of 
the older ones.. 



100 THE KUT CULTURIST. 

Comfort. — Burs very large, broad, somewhat flat- 
tened; spines yery strong and long, branching; nuts 
very broad, with short point, and shell covered from 
base to point with scattering silky hairs, thicker at upper 
end. In quality, about the same as in the ordinary vari- 
eties of the species, but to some persons' taste it is bet- 
ter, having less astringency in the skin surrounding the 
kernel. Origin uncertain, but said to have been grown 
for many years at Germantown, a suburb of Philadel23hia, 
Pa., where the Paragon chestnut w^as discovered. The 
Comfort certainly closely resembles the Paragon, but 1 
have not had an o23portunity of fruiting trees under the 
two names side by side, as would be necessary to deter- 
mine their identity or difference, if they are really 
distinct. 

CooPEK. — A very large variety; has been in cultiva- 
tion for several years in Camden Co., N. J., but up to 
the present time the trees have not been propagated for 
sale, although I am informed by Mr. John E. Parry 
that there are a large number under cultivation. The 
tree is described as of a broad spreading habit, with 
enormously large leaves, and immensely j^roductive. 
Nuts very large, smooth and glossy, with little fuzz 
near the top. In quality they may be considered excel- 
lent for a variety of this class. The burs are very large, 
and this is its greatest or only fault ; for when nearly 
mature they absorb and retain such a quantity of water 
during heavy rains, in addition to the original weight 
and the enclosed nuts, that the trees are liable to be 
broken down by strong winds. 

Corson. — Burs of immense size ; spines an inch or 
more in length, from a stout, woody, irregularly branch- 
ing stem, resting on the moderately thin husk. K'uts 
extra large, usually three in a bur ; shell dark brown, 
somewhat ridged ; the upper end or point of the shell 
densely covered with a white, almost woolly, pubescence. 



THE CHESTI^UT. 



101 



or fuzz as it is usually termed. This is a remarkably 
large and fine variety and of good quality. Originated 
with Mr. Walter H. Corson, Plymouth Meeting, Mont- 
gomery Co., Pa. 

Dager.-^A large variety originated near Wyoming, 
Delaware, from seed of the Ridgely. My specimen trees 
are good vigorous growers, and hardy, but have not, as 




BUR OF NUMBO CHESTNUT. 



yet, produced fruit. It is said that the nuts are of fair 
quality, but not as good as the best of its class. 

Moiq-CUR. — Another seedling of the Ridgely, raised 
on the farm of Mr. Frank "Monciir, near Dover, Del. 
The original tree is about thirty years old. Described 
as smaller than its parent, but of better quality. 



102 



THE .NUT CULTURIST. 




•-hJ>^' 



NuMBO. — Burs medium, and distinctly long pointed 
before opening, as shown in Fig. -26, the four divisions of 
the burs extending an inch or more beyond the nut as 

they open. This is an 
excej)tioDal form of 
the bur, and will ena- 
ble almost any person 
to recognize the yari- 
ety with bearing trees. 
Spines only medium 
m length (Fig. 27), 
FIG. 27. SPINES OF NUMBo CHESTNUT, aud uot as stroug as in 
most other varieties of this species. ISTuts very large 
(Fig. 28), smooth, decidedly pointed, light brown when 
first mature, and of good fla- 
vor. Tree hardy and a vig- 
orous, free grower, and is 
very productive even when 
young. The original tree is 
now some forty years old, 
and is one of a large number 
raised from imported nuts, 
by the late Mahlon Moon, of 
Morrisville, Pa. 

Miller's Dupont. — 
Burs large, spines long and fig. 28. numbo chestnut. 
strong but not as stout .as in some of the closely related 
varieties. Nut medium, and kernel of fair quality. A 
promising variety. Origin unknown. Eeceived from 
Jos. Evans, Delaware Co., Pa. 

Paragon". — Burs of immense size, often five inches 
and more in lateral diameter ; distinctly flattened on the 
top, or cushion shape (Fig. 29) ; spines an inch in 
length, widely and irregularly branching from a stout 
stem springing from a thick, fleshy husk, as shown in 
Fig. 30, the whole making an involucre or bur out of 




THE CHESTI^UT. 



103 



proportion to the nuts within. !N^uts of large size, 
slightly depressed at the top (Fig. 31), and they are 




FIG. 29. PARAGON CHESTNUT BUR. {One-half natural size.) 

usually broader than long ; shell very dark brown, 
slightly ridged, and covered with a fine but not very 




FIG. 30. SPINES OF PARAGON CHESTNUT BUR. 

conspicuous pubescence. Kernel sweet, fine-grained, 
and of superior flavor for one of this species. Tree hardy. 




104 THE KUT CULTURIST. 

exceedingly precocious and productive when grafted on 
strong, healthy stock. A four-year-old tree on my 
grounds is shown in Fig. 32. It was loaded with nuts 
in the fall of 1894. This is one of the best of its class. 
Origin somewhat in doubt, but it is claimed that the 
late W. L. Shaffer, of Philadelphia, raised it from a for- 
eign nut planted in his garden, and who, some eighteen 
years or more ago, gave cions to W. H. Engle, of 
^^ Marietta, Pa. Mr. Engle 

has since propagated and 
disseminated this variety 
quite extensively under its 
present name, but should 
further investigation prove 
it to be distinct and that 
it was raised by Mr. Shaf- 
fer, then it should certain- 
— ^^^ ^y^^=^ 1y bear his name, and Par- 

"^ ~~^ agon become a synonym. 

FIG. 31. PARAGON CHESTNUT, ^q ^orc appropriate mon- 
ument could possibly be erected in honor of a distin- 
guished horticulturist like the late Mr. Shaffer, than a 
chestnut tree, nor could his memory be perpetuated 
under more pleasant and agreeable surroundings than 
to have his name linked inseparably with such an excel- 
lent and valuable variety. 

RiDGELT. — Burs large, with dense spines, but not 
as long as those of the Paragon. Nuts . large, pointed ; 
shell dark brown, with very little pubescence, and this 
mainly at the point (Fig. 33). In quality this variety 
ranks very near, if not the equal of, the best of its class, 
and it has been highly commended, by those who have 
been acquainted with it, for many years. 

The origin of the Ridgely, as recorded, leaves the 
question of name a debatable one. Some sixty years 
ago a Mr. Dupont, of Wilmington, Del., gave or sent to 



THE CIlESTi^UT. 



105 



Mr. D. M. Ridgely, of Dover, Del., a sprouted chest- 
nut, and this was planted and became the original tree 
of the yariety under consideration. It has been called 
Diipont, because he raised the nut and kept it over win- 
ter and until it sprouted ; then it passed into the care of 




FIG. 32. FOUR YEAll OLD PAKAGOjSr CHESTNUT TREE. 

Mr. Eidgely, who thenceforward gave it his attention. 
The tree is now of immense size, and some seasons has 
produced more than five bushels of nuts, selling at eleven 
dollars per busheL It is quite probable that the Dupont 



106 



THE NUT CULTUKIST. 



family were the first to raise European chestnut trees to 
a bearing size in this country, for some of its members 
were settled in Delaware before the war of the Eevolu- 
tion. Pierre Samuel Dupont de Nemours, during the 
French ministry of Vergennes, was employed in form- 
ing the treaty of 1783, in which the independence of the 
United States was formally recognized by England. In 




FIG. 33. OPEN BUK OF THE EIDGELY CHESTNUT. 

1795 (Am. encyclopedia) he came to this country and 
joined his sons, who had become successful manufactur- 
ers of gunpowder at or near Wilmington, Del., where 
their descendants, or at least some of them, are still en- 
gaged in the same business. If any of the old and orig- 
inal chestnut trees have escaped the numerous "jDowder 



THE CHESTNUT. 107 

mill explosions" which hayo frequently occurred in that 
neighborhood, they are probably much older than the 
Eidgely. I am also inclined to believe that a very large 
majority of all the hardy chestnut trees of the European 
species scattered about the country are the direct de- 
scendants of the old Dupont stock. 

Scott. — Burs large, with long branching spines. 
Nuts from the original tree, as received the past season, 
are only of medium size, but said to be much larger on 
younger trees. Shell dark brown, smooth, with a little 
fuzz around the point. As my specimen tree has not, 
as yet, fruited, I am unable to say anything of its pro- 
ductiveness from personal experience, but in a note from 
Mr. William Parry, under date of Oct. 15, 1894, he 
says : '^I send specimens of the Scott chestnuts, grown 
by Judge Scott, of Burlington, N. J. The crop is about 
gone and it was with difficulty I could get these, which 
are about the average size ; earlier in the season many 
are larger. Judge Scott has grown these nuts for mar- 
ket several years. The original tree was bought by his 
father many years ago from the nursery of Thomas 
Hancock. He bought three trees for Spanish chest- 
nuts, planted them in a row about thirty feet apart, and 
the one from which these nuts were obtained happened 
to be in the middle. It is now a large tree, the trunk 
about five feet in diameter. It is a regular and heavy 
bearer. Judge Scott has propagated and planted an 
orchard from this variety, and claims among its impor- 
tant features, large size and early bearing, — two-year 
grafts generally produce nuts ; immense productiveness 
and good quality; beautiful, glossy, mahogany color; free- 
dom from fuzz, and an almost entire exemption from the 
attacks of the chestnut weevil. While the crop of two 
trees standing on either side of the Scott is badly dam- 
aged by worms, it is the exception to find a wormy nut 
among the Scott. 



108 THE XUT CULTUEIST. 

"The crop sells readily at ten to twelve dollars per 
bushel. This year (1894) some sold as low as eight dol- 
lars, the lowest ever known for this variety." 

Styee. — Burs large, round ; spines long, branching, 
but not as coarse as those of Comfort. Nuts medium to 
large, decidedly pointed, and the point fuzzy. Shell 
dark brown, with a few longitudinal stripes, but not 
ridged. A handsome nut of good quality. This variety 
has been distributed under the name of Hannum. The 
original tree, which is a mammoth in size, is still stand- 
ing on the farm of a Mr. Hannum, near Ooncordville, 
Delaware Co., Penii. But Mr. T. Walter Styer, of the 
same place, is propagating and introducing it as the 
Styer. 

Some of the varieties in this group may not prove 
to be distinct, and later they will be relegated to their 
proper place as synonyms, but 1 have thought it best to 
record them by the names under which they have been 
received. In writing these descriptions I have had the 
nuts and leaves before me, but there may be characters 
overlooked which will become more conspicuous as the 
grafted trees become older and more mature. The 
Dager chestnut, from Delaware, is a proDiising variety, 
disseminated through the Department of Agriculture, 
but as I have not seen the nuts at this writing, a descrip- 
tion is necessarily omitted. 

Among the French varieties of this species which 
are said to succeed admirably in California, a large j)ro- 
portion would probably do equally well in Delaware and 
further south. Among those worthy of trial I may 
name the Avant Chataigne, Comale^ Exalade, Green 
of Lemou$i7i, Grosse Precoce, Jaime Rousse, Lyons, 
Merle, Nouzillard, Quercy, etc. I have tried some of 
these, but with such indifferent results that they were 
abandoned. Cultivators of nut trees located in a milder 
climate, should take advantage of whatever improve- 



THE CHESTNUT. 109 

ments there have been made in Europe, by importing 
grafted trees or cions. There are a few ornamental vari- 
eties of the European chestnut, but none worthy of any 
special attention. 

Japait chestkuts. — The first authentic account I 
•have been able to find of the introduction of the Japan 
chestnut into this country, is of a number of trees re- 
ceived by S. B. Parsons & Co., Flushing, N. Y., 1876, 
from the late Thos. Hogg, who, as is well known to all 
horticulturists, spent several years in Japan collecting 
many rare kinds of trees and shrubs, which were shipped 
direct to Parsons & Co. The chestnut trees received in 
1876 fruited two years later, or in 1878, and soon attracted 
attention, on account of the large size and excellent 
quality of the nuts and the precocious habits of the trees. 

The success of this typical variety of the Japanese 
species, as I have assumed to designate it, proved that 
there were oriental chestnuts — heretofore untested in 
this country — that were certainly worthy of an attempt 
to obtain. This variety, introduced by the Messrs. 
Parsons & Co., does not appear to have been dissemi- 
nated under any distinct varietal name, but merely bears 
the rather meaningless one of Japan chestnut, and 
for the jDiirpose of giving it a position where it may be 
recognized — by name at least — from other varieties more 
recently introduced, I shall take the liberty of calling it 
' ^ Parsons' Japan. " 

Soon after it became known that the oriental chest- 
nuts would succeed in this country, the fruit growers 
and nurserymen of California began to import and plant 
these nuts, shipping an occasional lot to their customers 
in the Eastern States, and from these hundreds of seed- 
lings have been raised and distributed, under the gen- 
eral name of Japan chestnut. Among the nuts imported 
there are some of extraordinary size, even larger than 
anything of the kind obtained from Europe, as shown 



110 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 




ill Fig. 34, natural size, and from a specimen received 
direct from Japan. Some of the nurserymen who have 
secured these very large nuts for planting, offer the 

seedlings raised 
therefrom under 
such names as' 
Mammoth and 
Giant Japan, but_ 
as there is no 
certainty, and 
scarcely a prob- 
ability, that such 
seedlings v^ i 1 1 
produce nuts as 
large as those 

FIG. 34. JAPAN GIANT CHESTNUT. p 1 a U t C d , tllC 

names are rather misleading, although proper enough if 
given to grafted varieties of large size. When an extra- 
fine variety is produced from the nut, it should, of 
course, be preserved and propagated in the usual way. 

The late ^Ym. Parry, of Parry, IST. J., was one of 
the first nurserymen to attempt to produce new varieties 
of the Japan chestnut in this country, and his sons have 
continued his experi- 
ments in this direction. 
Others may have been 
equally successful, but I 
have been unable to ob- 
tain any satisfactory re- 
ports from those to 
whom I have applied for ^ig. 35. spines of japan chestnut. 
information ; consequently, I can only say that the fol- 
lowing, with few exceptions, originated at the Wm. 
Parry nurseries : 

Advance (Parry). — Burs medium, slightly flattened 
on top; spines medium, short, almost sessile, as shown 




THE CHESTNUT. Ill 

in Fig. 35, and this is a characteristic of all the Japan 
chestnuts; branching and widely separated on a very 
thin husk. Nuts very large ; shell a light yellowish 
brown, with a few slight darker streaks from base to 
apex. Quality excellent for one of this species. Ripens 
early, and long before touched by frost. 

Alpha (Parry). — Very similar to the last, but 
ripens earlier, which would be an advantage in some 
localities. Tree vigorous and productive. 

Beta (Parry). — Bur medium; sj^ines rather long 
and thin for one of this group, set on a thin husk. Nut 
large ; shell light brown, smooth, with a slight trace of 
pubescence near the tip. The leaves are shallow and 
coarsely serrate, and on some the teeth or serratures are 
entirely wanting. Ripens a little later than the Alpha, 
or about the first of October in northern JSTew Jersey. 

Eaelt Reliance (Parry). — Burs medium, with 
short, almost deflexed spines, on an exceedingly thin 
husk. Nuts large, more pointed than in the last, and 
of a lighter color the past season, but tliis may not be 
constant, and may be due to the long and severe drouth 
of the summer of 1894. Usually three nuts in a bur, and 
sometimes four or five, but I do not consider this in- 
crease in number a merit in any variety, for where there 
are more than three they are likely to be of small size 
and very much deformed. The original tree of the Re- 
liance is enormously productive, and a regular bearer. 

Feltok. — A seedling of the common Japanese 
chestnut, raised by J. W. Killen, of Felton, Delaware. 

Giant Japan (Parry). — Burs large to extra large 
for a variety of this species, with medium low branching 
spines on a very thin, parchment-like husk. Nuts extra 
large, usually only two in a bur, often only one, and 
about two inches broad, much depressed at the to]), with 
a short point set in an irregular depression or basin. 
Shell dark mahogany color, more or less ribbed ; kernel 



112 THE l^UT CULTUEIST. 

coarse grained, as is usual in the extra large varieties of 
nearly all species of the chestnut. This is probably the 
largest variety of the Japanese chestnut raised in this 
country, of which grafted trees are obtainable at this 
time. There may be others equally as large, but if so 
they are unknown to the writer. 

KiLLEN". — Of the Japan species, and described as 
very large, the nuts over two inches in diameter and of 
fair quality. Eaised by J. W. Killen, of Felton, Del. 

Paesoks' Japak. — Burs medium, with rather thick- 
set and long spines. Nuts large, one inch and a half 
broad, curving regularly to a point; shell smooth, 
almost glossy, brown, with faint stripes of a darker shade 
extending from base to ajiex. In quality the kernel is 
far better than most of the European varieties, being 
finer grained and sweeter. When grafted on strong 
stocks the trees come into bearing early, or in two or 
three years. This is the best known, and probably the 
most widely distributed variety, of the Japanese species 
in this country* having been introduced, as I have stated 
elsewhere, in 1876. 

Paery's Superb (Parry). — Burs broad, cushion- 
shaped, or much flattened on top, with extra long, 
widely branching sj)ines from single or multiple stems, 
very much as in the European varieties. But the thin 
husk, the nuts, and the growth of tree, wood and leaves, 
stamp it as a pure Japanese variety. Nuts large, broader 
than long, with a decided sharjD woody j)oint; almost 
entirely destitute of even a sign of pubescence. A very 
promising and distinct variety. 

Success (Parry). — Burs very large, broad, with 
only a few short, scattering, branching spines on the 
toji, thicker toward the base ; on a thin, parchment-like 
husk, and this is so thin that it sometimes cracks ojDcn 
and exposes the nuts within before they are fully ripe. 
Nuts extra large, nearly equal to the Giant, but of a 



THE CHESTNUT. 113 

more regular and symmetrical form, being nearly as long 
as broad, tapering to a point. Shell smooth, dark 
brown, with a slight pubescence about the point. Usu- 
ally three nuts in a bur ; an ideal variety in every respect. 

There is a variety of the Japan chestnut recently 
much lauded under the name of Mammoth or Burbank, 
which is said to be of immense size, and as sweet as the 
common American chestnut. 

Injurious Insects. — The chestnut tree is rarely 
attacked by insects. It is true that grubs may occasion- 
ally be found boring into the wood or cutting sinuous 
burrows under the bark, but this is mainly in trees weak- 
ened by exposure, in removing protecting companions, 
as when removing forests, or by plowing up and destroy- 
ing the roots, in cultivating the land about them ; but 
the attacks of insects upon such specimens is nature's 
way of getting rid of the feeble and least valuable, mak- 
ing room for the healthy and strong. But my thirty 
years' residence in a chestnut grove leads me to think 
that this nut ti-ee is exceedingly free from wood borers 
of any kind. 

Entomologists, however, have noted several instances 
of insect depredations upon individual trees, by a few 
species of the longhorn beetles, three or four in all, but 
these occur so rarely that they are scarcely worthy of 
notice as pests of the chestnut. There are also several 
species of caterpillars occasionally found feeding on the 
leaves of this tree, also some sucking bugs or tree hop- 
]3ers, and two or three kinds of plant lice, but none of 
these have, as yet, become at all formidable enemies, or 
likely to become so later. But the chestnut has one 
enemy which is so abundant and destructive to the nuts 
as to call for an extended notice. I refer to the common 
native chestnut weevil {Balaninus car y tripes, Boheman). 
The little fat, white, round, legless grubs, nearly or quite 
a half-inch long, must be familiar to every person who 
8 



114 THE NUT CULTUEIST. 

has handled or eaten chestnuts raised in this countryy 
whether of the exotic or native varieties. The parents 
of this grub are oval-shaped beetles about one-half inch, 
long or less ; wing covers, body and legs densely covered 
with a short yellow down, and from the front or thorax 
there extends a long, slightly curved, slender snout (Fig. 
36), sometimes nearly an inch in length in the females, 
but usually less in the males. The mouth parts are at 
the extreme end of this snout or proboscis, and the fe- 
male, with her mandibles, it is claimed, reaches down 
among the chestnut spines and gnaws a hole 
in the husk, into which she drops an egg ; 
and when this hatches, the minute grub cuts 
its way through the green husk and into the 
nut, the hole made in its progress closing 
up behind, leaving no mark or scar. Al- 
though I have taken hundreds of these wee- 
vils on chestnut trees, I never have been so 

FIG 36 CHEST- ^*^^'^^^^^^® ^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^® ^^ ^^^® ^^^ ^^ ^^^' 
NUT WEEVIL, positing, but have come so near it as to find 

the ovipositor still extended as the insect crawled out 
from among the spineSo 

The chestnut weevil usually appears in great num- 
bers soon after the trees bloom in spring, but they con- 
tinue to come out all through the summer ; I have 
occasionally found them late in September, which prob- 
ably accounts for finding small and half-grown grubs in 
the nuts as they ripen and fall from the trees. These 
late grubs often remain in the nuts all winter, but the 
greater part escape earlier, or very soon after the crop 
is ripe. The grubs crawl out of the nuts and work their 
way into the ground to a depth of from a few inches to 
two feet, much depending upon the nature of the soil. 
Having very powerful jaws, they readily cut through a 
layer of leaves or soft wood, and I have known them to 
cut holes in sheets of dry cork. These grubs remain in 




THE CHESTNUT. 115 

the ground until the following season, then come fortli 
in their winged or weevil stage, except the belated 
broods, or those that have not reached full size in the 
autumn ; these remain in the ground the entire summer, 
coming out late in the fall, or pass over until the second 
year, as I have proved by burying the grubs in a barrel 
sunk in the ground, covering the top with fine wire net- 
ting, to prevent the escape of the weevils as they emerged 
from time to time during the season. 

As a rule, we find only one grub in a nut, of the 
American sweet chestnut, but in the larger varieties of 
the European and Japanese, two or more is not unusual, 
which rather favors the idea that the female weevil does 
possess something akin to reason, which guides her in 
locating stores of food available for her progeny. I have 
never observed that the weevils had any choice among 
varieties, all being subject to their attacks alike, pro- 
vided all were growing in equally favorable positions. 
But if the trees are of different sizes, some tall and 
others short, some exposed to the winds and others pro- 
tected, then the ravages of this pest will, no doubt, be 
as variable as the surrounding conditions. As the 
weevils emerge from the ground in spring or early sum- 
mer, they will naturally seek the nuts most convenient 
and on the small trees, then those on the lower branches 
of the larger ones, while those on the upper part of the 
tree, where they are fully exposed to the winds, may 
wholly escape the attacks of these pests. This leads me 
to think that whoever attempts to cut off native chest- 
nut forests, with the expectation of renewal with the 
larger varieties, by grafting the sprouts, will find the 
chestnut weevil a rather formidable enemy. I have 
found it so on a limited number of trees in my own 
grounds, that are grown from grafted sprouts near large 
native specimens, the weevils destroying nearly every 
nut ; but ont in the field, away from the woods, and 



116 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

where the young trees are scattered and exjoosed to the 
full sweep of the winds, the nuts are sound and free 
from insect enemies. The only remedy is to collect and 
destroy the weevils, which is not a serious matter where 
only the larger varieties are cultivated. 

Diseases of the Chestnut. — I have never noticed 
any special disease among chestnuts, neither do I find 
any mentioned in European works on forestry. The 
nearest apj)roach to any such malady being recorded as 
having appeared in this country, is found in a paragraph 
in Hough's ^'Keport on Forestry," 1877, p. 470, where the 
author coj^ies from Prof. W. C. Kerr, State Geologist, 
]^orth Carolina, as follows: '^The chestnut was for- 
merly abundant in the Piedmont region, down to the 
country between the Catawba and Yadkin rivers, but 
within the last thirty years they have mostly perished. 
They are now found east of the Blue Eidge only, on 
higher ridges and spurs of the mountains. They have 
suffered injury here, and are dying out both here and 
beyond the Blue Eidge. They are much less fruitful 
than they were a generation ago, and the crop is much 
more uncertain." 

While there is nothing said about any chestnut dis- 
ease in the jDaragraph quoted, we only infer that the 
author intended to convey the idea that the trees were 
suffering from some endemic malady, although it may 
have been due to long drouths, insect depredators, or 
other causes. A few years later Mr. Hough, in his 
''Elements of Forestry," refers to the subject again, and 
admits that ''the cause of the malady is unknown." 
But as chestnuts continue to come to our markets in 
vast quantities from the Piedmont regions, there must 
be a goodly number of healthy trees remaining. 

Uses. — The economic value of the chestnut, as 
food for mankind and the lower animals, has been, and 
is still, so well known, that no extended dissertation or 



THE CHESTNUT. 117 

compilation of historic instances of its usefulness are 
required here. For almost two thousand years it has 
been an important article of food throughout southern 
Europe, and in some of the mountainous districts it is 
almost the "staff of life" among the poorer people, who 
not only use these nuts in their raw state, but roasted, 
boiled, stewed, and even dried 'and ground into flour, 
from which a coarse but nutritious kind of cake or bread 
is made. These nuts are also used in the same way by 
the poorer classes of China and Japan, and probably in 
other oriental countries. In France, Italy, Spain and 
Portugal, the chestnut crop is of immense importance, 
not only for domestic use, but commercially, because all 
surplus is wanted by other nations, who are ever ready 
to take a share, and pay a good round price for the same. 

In this country chestnuts are mainly used as a lux- 
ury or a kind of ]30cket lunch for the children, as they 
are rarely brought to the table, and it is very doubtful 
if the American housewife, or our cooks, — unless foreign 
born and bred, — know anything about preparing these 
delicious nuts for comestible purposes. Cereals, meats, 
fruits and vegetables have always been so abundant and 
cheap in this country, that the poorest of the poor could 
indulge in them without stint or limit ; but all this will 
change sooner or later, and when our population has 
doubled or trebled, the edible nuts must become of much 
more importance than now, and a roast turkey stuffed 
with chestnuts may figure as the ideal of gastronomic 
art. 

As our native chestnuts are now annually consumed 
by the thousands of bushels, and the imported varieties 
by millions of pounds, and all as a mere luxury, — not a 
necessity nor an article which we could not dispense 
with without any serious inconvenience, — we may well 
consider what the future demand must be, and make 
haste to meet it with an abundant supply. 



CHAPTER YI. 

FILBEKT OR HAZELIS'UT. 

Coryliis, Tournefort. Name from horys, a hood, 
helmet or bonnet, in reference to the form of the calyx 
or husk enclosing the nnt. Order, Corylacem. Decid- 
uous trees or low shrubs. Male flowers appearing in 
the autumn in pendulous cylindrical catkins two inches 
or more in length, with a two-cleft calyx partly united 
with the bracts or scales. These catkins remain on the 
plants all winter, becoming fully developed, and shed- 
ding their pollen early the following spring. Female 
flowers minute, entirely hidden within the buds during 
the winter, but early in spring their bright red, thread- 
like stigmas push out from the tips of the lateral or ter- 
minal buds. Ovary two-celled, with one ovule in each. 
Nut globular, ovoid or oblong, often in clusters, but 
each enclosed in a leafy, two- or three-valved husk, 
fringed or deeply notched at the upper end. Leaves 
broadly heart-shajDcd, serrate, with sturdy, short leaf- 
stalks. The filbert and hazel always bloom before the 
leaves appear in spring, and the male catkins usually 
open and begin to scatter their pollen in this latitude 
during warm days in March, the females soon following, 
their bright-red stigmas pushing out from the ends of 
the buds , but as soon as fertilization has been consum- 
mated they shrivel and disappear. The trees may then 
remain leafless for weeks following, and yet produce a 
heavy crop of fruit. 

The common English name, filbert, is from '' full- 
beard." All the varieties with husks extending beyond 
the nut, and with fringed edges, are filberts (Fig. 37) ; 

118 



FILBERT OR HAZELNUT. 



119 



while those with husks shorter than the nuts (Fig. 38) 
are hazels, from the old Anglo-Saxon word, hcBsel^ a 
hood or bonnet. The parentage, size, form or quality 
of the nut, is not to be considered in this classification, 
for when the nuts are ripe and fallen from the husks. 




FIG. 37. LARGE FILBERT. 

there is nothing left to distinguish the hazelnuts from 
filberts, unless a person is sufficiently familiar with a 
variety to know to which group it belongs. In France 
these nuts are known under the general name of Xoysette; 
while in Germany it is Haselmiss ; in Holland Hazel- 



120 



THE i;rUT CULTUEIST. 



noot ; and in Italy Avellana, from Ayellana, a city of 
Naples, near which there is a valley where these nuts 
have been extensively cultivated for many centuries. 

History of the Filbert. — It is claimed that the 
filbert was first known to the Eomans as Nux Pontica, 
because introduced from Pontus ; but it must have be- 
come naturalized throughout southern Europe in very 
early times. But the Italian name of Avellana appears 
to have been applied to the wild hazel of Britain, long 
before Linnaeus adopted it as the specific name of the 




FIG. 38. LARGE SEEDLIKG HAZELNUT. 

indigenous species. John Evelyn, one of the most care- 
ful and learned of English arboriculturists of his time, 
in referring to these nuts, in his ^^Sylva," 1664, says : 
^'^I do not confound the filbert Pontic, distinguished by 
its beard, with our foresters or bald hazelnuts, which, 
doubtless, we had from abroad, bearing the names of 
Avelan or Avelin, as I find in some ancient records and 
deeds in my custody, where my ancestors' names were 
written Avelan, alias Evelin." 



FILBERT OR HAZELNUT. 121 

The filbert has been celebrated in prose and poetry 
from ancient times, as we may infer from a remark of 
Virgil, who says that it has been more honored "than 
the vine, the myrtle, or even the bay itself" (Eclogue vii). 

The supposed occult power of a forked twig of the 
hazel as a divining-rod {virgula divinatoria) for finding 
hidden treasures, veins of metals, subterranean streams 
of water, and even pointing out criminals, is, of course, 
purely mythical, although so solemnly attested by many 
learned men in the past ; and I would not consider this 
myth worthy of a notice here were it not for the fact 
that it was early imported into this country, and is still 
firmly believed by many persons among our rural popu- 
lation. It is true that the supposed attributes of the 
European hazel have been transferred to different plants 
in this country, mainly to the peach and our indigenous 
witch-hazel {Hamamelis Virgima?ia), but the myth 
still lives, a legitimate descendant of an Old World 
nut tree. 

There is little to be said in regard to the history of 
the filbert and hazelnut in this country, but it is quite 
likely that both of the European species, and many vari- 
eties, were brought here and planted by the early settlers 
in the Eastern States, and bushes of the same could have 
been seen in many gardens a hundred years ago ; but I 
have been unable to find any account of extensive plant- 
ings of these nuts, although nurserymen, all along, have 
been offering choice varieties to their customers. In 
the main, our pomologists have either remained silent in 
regard to these nuts, or, at most, referred to them very 
briefly in their published works. 

William Prince, of Flushing, N". Y.,in a "Short 
Treatise on Horticulture," published in 1828, refers to 
the filbert as follows : "This shrub or, in some cases, 
tree, accommodates itself to every exposition, and to 
every variety of soil, but prefers a moist loam on a sandy 



122 THE KUT CULTURIST. 

bottom, witli a northern exposure. It is easily multi- 
plied by seeds, layers or inoculation. In fact, these 
nuts, which are vended in large quantities in our mar- 
kets, grow as well in our climate as the common hazel- 
nut, and produce very abundantly. Such being the 
case, it is hoj^ed, ere long, sufficient will be produced 
from our soil to supersede the necessity of importation, 
as plantations of this tree would amply remunerate the 
possessor; or if planted as a hedge, would be found to 
be very productive. A single bush of the Spanish filbert 
in my garden Las produced a half -bushel annually." 

Mr. Prince then names a few of the best varieties, 
which are about the same as those recommended at the 
present time, and he was, no doubt, honest in recom- 
mending filbert culture to his countrymen, for his own 
limited experience proved that the trees would grow 
here and fruit abundantly. 

A. J. Downing, in the first edition of his '^' Fruits 
and Fruit Trees of America," 1845, says : ^^The Span- 
ish filbert, common in many of our gardens, is a worth- 
less, nearly barren variety ; but we have found the better 
English sorts productive and excellent in this climate 
(l^ewburg, N. Y.), and at least a few plants of these 
should have a place in all our gardens." If a few plants 
will succeed in a garden, then we might reasonably sup- 
pose that the number might be safely increased, and 
this was the idea of Mr. Prince, and many other writers 
on the subject since his time, but I fail to find any rec- 
ord of extended experiments with these nuts in this 
country, and as there must be some good reason for this 
neglect, perhaps my own experience in the cultivation 
of the filbert and hazel, to be given in succeeding pages, 
may throw some fight on this question. 

Propagation. — Filberts are readily propagated by 
almost all the modes employed in the multiplication of 
ordinary fruit trees and shrubs. The nuts are not at all 



FILBERT OR HAZELNUT. 123 

delicate, and may be planted in the fall, or stored in a 
cool place, mixed with sand or sphagnum, and then put 
out in spring, always selecting a rather light and rich 
soil for a seed bed, and in such beds plants from one to 
three feet high may be obtained the first season. The 
seedlings produce such a mass of fine roots that they are 
readily transplanted without danger of loss. Varieties 
are perpetuated and multiplied by budding, grafting, 
suckers, layers, and some grow quite readily from cut- 
tings made of the young, vigorous shoots, cut wp into 
l^roper lengths in the fall, and then buried in the ground 
until the following spring, then planted out in trenches, 
as usually practiced with currants, grapes and similar 
plants. The method of proj)agation most generally 
practiced in Europe and this country is by suckers, and 
as the cultivated varieties of the filbert usually produce 
these from the base of their stems in profusion, there is 
no lack of material ; besides, they make as strong, 
healthy and productive plants as can be procured in any 
other way. To secure an extra number of roots on these 
suckers, they should be banked up with a few inches in 
depth of good rich soil, or old manure, about midsum- 
mer, and then late in the autumn dig down to the base 
and remove with knife or chisel, after which they may 
be headed down to about fifteen or eighteen inches, and 
heeled-in for the winter, to be planted out in nursery 
rows early in spring. If a greater number of sprouts are 
wanted than the plants naturally produce, the main 
stem may be cut down ; but this will seldom be necessary, 
because the young transplanted suckers will usually pro- 
duce more or less new ones the first season, all of which 
can be utilized for multiplying the stock if they are 
wanted. 

Soil, Location and Climate. — European varieties 
of the filbert thrive best in what may be termed a rich 
loam, with a dry subsoil. If the soil is too moist, the 



124: THE NUT CULTURIST. 

trees are inclined to run too much to wood, producing 
less fruit. In the famous nnt orchards of Kent, Eng- 
land, the soil is loam upon a dry, sandy rock. The 
trees in these orchards are manured at least once in two 
years, especially after they reach the full bearing age. 
Almost any good soil that is rich enough to produce a 
good crop of corn, and is not submerged in winter, will 
answer for the filbert in this country. 

In selecting a location for a filbert orchard, an open, 
airy one would j)TObably be preferable to a spot so shel- 
tered as to cause the flowers to appear so early as to be 
injured by frosts. Furthermore, I would warn culti- 
vators to keep as far away as possible from any hedge- 
rows or plantation of the wild native hazel bushes, for 
these are always loaded with disease germs that are fatal 
to the foreign species. We might reasonably suppose 
that filberts would succeed better in the Southern than 
in the Northern States, but if the experience of those 
who have tried them there count for anything, then 
these nuts are not adapted to the South, owing to the 
fact that the flowers almost invariably push out during 
warm days in winter, and these are destroyed later by 
frosts. In the more elevated regions of the northern 
border of the Southern, and in similar locations in the 
Middle States, these nuts will doubtless thrive, or at 
least the climate will prove congenial. The more equa- 
ble the climate and free from extremes in temperature, 
the better ; but the most important element in this 
country is moisture, especially in summer, when the 
nuts are filling out ; and the best way to supply this, 
where irrigation cannot be practiced, is to keep the 
ground around the trees continually covered with a 
mulch of leaves or other coarse vegetable matter. 

Planting and Pruning. — The space to be allowed 
between the plants, when set out for bearing, will, of 
course, depend very much upon the size they are ex- 



FILBERT OR HAZELNUT. 1:^5 

pected to attain. Those varieties which assume and 
remain in the bash form may be ])lanted very close to- 
gether, or not more than six to eight feet between the 
plants ; but those which become small trees must be 
given more room. The larger European sorts, which 
are at present the only ones worth cultivating for their 
nuts, should be set ten or twelve feet apart, and the 
rows fifteen to sixteen feet, then if properly pruned they 
will shade the ground and be in a convenient form for 
gathering the crop. The trees may be planted in the 
orchard when quite small, and some kind of vegetable 
crop grown among them for the first two or three years, 
but I would prefer keeping the plants in nursery rows 
until they were four or five feet high, and then trans- 
plant to the orchard, and set a short, stout stake by the 
side of each, to keep the main stem in an upright posi- 
tion until the tree is well established. 

The first pruning, — except removing suckers from 
those in the nursery rows, — will be the heading back of 
the main or central stem to a hight of two or three 
feet, for the purpose of laying the foundation, as it 
were, of the head of the future tree. Three or four of 
the larger branches, which will push out from near the 
top of the severed main stem, are to be selected to form 
the top, and all others removed. Small lateral branches 
or twigs will spring out from the larger or main ones, 
and in this way the head of a bearing tree is formed. 
But before attempting to prune a mature or fruitful 
tree, we must consider the mode of fructification, for 
the filbert does not bear nuts on the young growth of 
the season, as in the chestnut, but on the small branch- 
lets or spur-like twigs of the preceding season, or, as we 
may say, on the one-year-old twigs. The small fruiting 
twigs are seldom more than four to six inches long, and 
sometimes almost every well-developed bud on these con- 
tain pistillate flowers and embryo nuts, either singly or 



126 THE NUT CULTUKIST. 

in clusters. In pruning the bearing trees, the main 
point to be observed is to head back the strong leading 
shoots, to prevent the trees growing too tall, as well as 
to force out the side or lateral twigs as fruiting wood 
for the ensuing year. If the heads of the trees become 
too much crowded to admit light and air to the center, 
some of the larger branches must be removed entire. 
The best time to prune is in early spring, when the trees 
are in bloom, for at this season we can readily determine 
the injured from the sound male catkins, and preserve 
enough of these to insure perfect fertilization. It is not 
necessary, however, that there should be healthy pollen- 
bearing catkins on every tree in an orchard, for if one in 
a dozen is well supplied, there will be sufficient to fer- 
tilize the flowers of all growing near by. It often hap- 
pens, in our rather severe climate, that the catkins of 
some trees or varieties are winterkilled, while the pistil- 
late flowers enclosed in the buds escape injury, and 
when this occurs it is well to have some hardy variety at 
hand, from which pollen can be obtained when needed. 
The inferior varieties are usually the most hardy, and 
the wild European hazel or our northern beaked hazel, 
will usually escape injury where all the large improved 
sorts fail, and it requires but a few minutes' labor to cut 
branches bearing sound catkins, and scatter these about 
through the heads of trees requiring such assistance to 
make them fruitful. 

SPECIES OF AMERICAN HAZELS. 

CoEYLUs Americana (Walters). Common hazel 
bush. — Leaves roundish, heart-shaped, pointed, coarsely 
serrate ; husk somewhat downy, with a wide, flattened, 
fringed border extending beyond the roundish nut. 
Shell rather thick and brittle ; kernel sweet and good, 
but the nut is too small to be considered of much value. 
A. low shrub, with many stems springing from the roots. 



FILBERT OR HAZELNUT. 127 

Young shoots and twigs downy and glaiidiilar-bairv. 
Common in woods and old fields from Canada to Florida. 
CoKYLUS ROSTEATA (Aiton). Beaked hazel. — Leaves 
ovate or oblong, somewhat heart-shaped, pointed, doubly 
serrate ; husk extending an inch or more beyond the 
round or ovoid nut, forming before it opens a long tubu- 
lar beak, hence the name. The husk is densely covered 
with nettle-like bristles, which are quite irritating to 
tender hands. The nuts are small, usually growing in 
clusters at the ends of the twigs, only a few coming to 
maturity. A low shrub or small tree, usaally growing 
in a dense clump, not spreading from subterranean 
stems, as in the last species. Common on rather firm 
and rich soil along the borders of streams, in the 
northern border States, and southward on the Alle- 
ghanies, but most abundant in the north through Can- 
ada, and westward to the Pacific in Washington and. 
Oregon, where, in the mountains, it often assumes the 
tree form, growing to a hight of twenty-five to thirty 
feet, with a stem from four to six inches in diameter. 
The wood is light, soft, and very white to the center. 
It also extends southward to central California, but 
here it is only a small bush, this form having been de- 
scribed under the name of Coryliis rostrata, var. Cali- 
fornica, A. de C. This species probably reaches its high- 
est development in the Cascade range, in northern Ore- 
gon. The same or a closely allied species of the hazel 
extends far into northern Asia. There are no improved 
varieties of either of our native species of the hazel in 
cultivation. 

EUEOPEAN SPECIES OF CORYLUS. 

CoRYLUS AvELLAi^A (Linn.). Common hazelnut. — 
Leaves roundish, heart-shaped, pointed, coarsely and un- 
evenly serrate ; husk bell-shaped, spreading, with a 
fringed or deeply cut margin. The original form of this 



128 THE NJJT CULTUEIST. 

nut is snp]30sed to have been oyate or oral, but with a 
plant indigenous to such a wide range of climate and 
country, and one that has been so long under cultiyation, 
— running wild in many localities where it is not a native, 
— it would be very difficult at this time to determine its 
primary botanical characters. A common shrub or small 
tree throughout the greater part of Europe and Asia. 

CoRTLUS OolurjS'A (Liuu.). — Cons tan tinoi3le ha- 
zel. Leaves roundish ovate, heart-shaped ; husk double, 
the inner one divided into three deeply cleft divisions, 
the outer with many long, slender, curved segments, 
giving to the calyx or husk a fringed appearance, but 
leaving the end of the nut fully exposed (Fig. 39). 'Nuts 
small, and for this reason rarely cultivated. Native of 
Asia Minor, where the tree attains a hight of from fifty 
to sixty feet. It is, however, hardy in France and Eng- 
land, and was introduced into the latter country some 
three hundred years ago, j)robably by Olusius, who re- 
ceived either nuts or plants from Constantinople, hence 
its present name. 

There are several other hazels and filberts, so distinct 
from the two common European types that botanists 
have, in a few instances, been inclined to elevate them 
to the rank of sj^ecies, and among these I may name 
Corylus heterophylla, or various-leaved filbert, from east- 
ern Asia, also the Corylus ferox, or spiny filbert, which 
has a long and deeply cut or fringed husk. It is a na- 
tive of the Sheopur mountain in Nepaul. But from the 
two common European species, C. Avellana and C. Co- 
lurna, and their hybrids, many hundreds of varieties 
have been raised, and from among these we may readily 
select a dozen possessing all the distinct and estimable 
properties to be found in this genus of nut-bearing 
plants ; to "multiply names without securing anything 
of intrinsic value, is but a waste of time and labor on 
the part of the cultivator. 



FILBEKT OE HAZELNUT. 129 

As we have no popular varieties of American origin, 
I am compelled to consult European catalogues in mak- 
ing a selection of those most promising for cultivation 
here, and this is, perhaps, an advantage, inasmuch as 
our transatlantic cousins have had a long experience and 




CONSTANTINOPLE HAZEL. 



abundant opportunities for determining the merits of 
the varieties they recommend. If hardiness and adap- 
tation to our soil and climate are to be taken into ac- 
count, in making a selection, then we may fail for the 
want of experienced guides, as it is undeniable that very 
9 



130 THE .:N"UT cultueist. 

few persons in this country have ever attempted to con- 
duct extended experiments in the cultivation of either 
the native or European species and varieties of the hazel. 
Taking this view of the situation, I shall avail my- 
self of the small but select list of varieties given in that 
standard work, "The Dictionary of Grardening," edited 
by Mr. George Mcnolson, of the Eoyal Gardens, KeWj 
England. 

SELECT LIST OE VARIETIES. 

Alba, or White eilbert. — Considered in Eng- 
land one of the best varieties in cultivation. Erom the 
peculiar structure of the husk, which contracts rather 
than opens at the outer edge, this filbert can be kept 
longer in its cover than most others. As fashion 
demands that fresh filberts must be brought to the 
table in their husks, this variety deserves special atten- 
tion. It is also known as Avelinier Blanche, Wrotham 
Park, etc. 

CosEOED, OE Miss You^-g's Thii^-Shelled. — 
Nut oblong, of excellent quality; husk hairy, deeply 
cut, about as long as the nut. Highly valued on ac- 
count of the thinness of the shell. 

Ceispa, or Feizzled eilbeet. — Shell thin, some- 
what flattened ; husk richly and curiously frizzled 
throughout, open wide at the mouth, and hanging 
about as long again as the nut. Eipens late, and one of 
the most productive. 

Dowi^TOK Laege Squaee. — Nut very large; shell 
thick and well-filled ; hnsk smooth, shorter than the 
nut. A peculiarly formed semi-square nut, of the best 
quality. 

Lambeet's EILBEET {Covylus tubidoso). — Nut 
large, oblong ; shell thick and strong, the kernel being 
covered with a red skin ; husk long, rather smooth, ser- 
rated at the edges, longer than the nut. A fine, strong- 



FILBERT OR HAZELNUT. 131 

growing, free-fruiting variety, it is quite popular in 
California, where it lias been in cultivation for twenty 
years or more under the name of Eed Aveline. Speci- 
mens I have received from there were not as large as 
those raised in England, but; this can be accounted for 
by the diiference in climate. This variety is cultivated 
in Europe under various local names, as, for instance, 
Great Cob, Kentish Cob, Filbert Cob, and Large Bond 
Cob. 

Grakdis, or Roukd cobn"ut. — Nut large, short, 
slightly compressed, very thick and hard ; husk shorter 
than the fruit, much frizzled and hairy. This is sup- 
posed to be the true Barcelona nut of commerce, and is 
one of the finest grown. This is the largo round hazel 
or filbert so largely imported for the trade in this coun- 
try. It has many synonyms, and among them we may 
record Downton, Dwarf Prolific, Great Cob and Round 
Cob. 

Purple-Leaved filbert. — Usually cultivated as 
an ornamental shrub in this countr3^, but under proper 
treatment it is one of the most valuable for its fruit. 
Leaves very large, and of a deep purple color. N"uts 
and husk of the same color, which they retain until cut 
by frosts. Nuts large, an inch in length ; husks much 
longer than the nut, and slightly hairy. The catkins 
are tender and become winterkilled in our Northern 
States, but if the pistillate flowers are fertilized by pol- 
len from some more hardy plant, this purple-leaved 
filbert is exceedingly prolific. I have gathered eighty 
nuts from a small bush in my garden, the flowers of 
which had been fertilized from another variety in early 
spring. 

Red filbert. Red Hazel, Avelinier Rouge. — Xut 
medium ovate, not long as in the tubulosa, or Lambert's 
filbert ; shell thick ; husk long and hispid. A very 
productive variety of good quality. 



132 THE KUT CULTUEIST. 

Spais^ish filbert. — Nut yery large, oblong ; shell 
thick ; husk smooth, longer than the nut. A very large 
variety, sometimes confounded with the Round cobnut 
and its synonyms. 

PEESONAL EXPERIENCE WITH FILBERTS. 

Believing that our failures are often of far more 
value, in the line of education, than our successes, I 
shall not hesitate to place my own on record as guide- 
posts to those who may be seeking the most direct road 
to success in nut culture. Having had a rather extended 
and expensive experience in the cultivation of filberts, I 
purpose giving a brief account of it here, with the hope 
that it may save some other enthusiast from losing time 
and money. 

My attention was first specially drawn to these nuts 
in 1858, — Y>diile a resident of the city of Brooklyn, IST. Y., 
— by a neighbor who had a moderately large garden, on 
three sides of which he had j^lanted a row of English 
filberts. These trees, at the tim.e, had attained a hight 
of about fifteen feet, with broad, open heads, and they 
rarely failed to produce a heavy crop of nuts, which sold 
readily at very remunerative j^ rices, for as they were 
always gathered in the husks and sold by the pound, 
the amount obtained from these few trees seemed to be 
enormous, considering the small space they occupied in 
this garden. The owner of these filbert trees, being an 
Englishman by birth, never tired of shoAving his Eng- 
lish filberts to visitors, and of descanting upon their value, 
as well as upon the stupid indifference of the Yankees 
in neglecting the cultivation of these valuable nuts. I 
imbibed enough of my neighbor's enthusiasm to secure 
a good stock of his plants, a few years later, for cultiva- 
tion in my grounds here. The third year after planting, 
quite a number of the bushes produced a fair crop of 
nuts, but I noticed that an occasional shoot was affected 



riLBEMT OR HAZELNUT. 133 

with blight, and these were immediately cut out and 
burned. The next season more of the branches were 
affected, and from these the blight extended downward 
on the main stems, and when these were cut away the 
sprouts from below made a very vigorous and apparently 
healthy growth, some reaching a hight of six feet the 
first season, but a year or two later these were also at- 
tacked and destroyed by blight. 

Finding that the filberts in my grounds were doomed, 
I visited my old neighbor in Brooklyn, hoping to learn 
something of the origin or cause of the disease ; but the 
blight had invaded his garden, and not a tree remained. 
On my return from this visit I had every filbert and 
hazel plant on my place dug up and burned, thinking 
by such means to stamp out the disease. After waiting 
ten years, I thought it time to try filberts again, and to 
be certain of securing pure and healthy plants, I con- 
cluded to raise them from the nuts, and sent an order 
for a few pounds of the largest and best variety to be 
found in the celebrated filbert orchards of Kent, Eng. 
In due time the nuts arrived, and they were very large, 
and all of one variety, as ordered. They w^ere mixed 
with sand and buried in the garden until the following- 
spring, then sown thinly in shallow drills and covered 
with about two inches of rich soil. 

At the close of the first season the plants were from 
one to two feet high and quite stocky, with a mass of 
small fibrous roots. The next spring they were trans- 
planted into nursery rows, and set about one foot apart. 
The third spring I laid out about one acre for a speci- 
men filbert orchard, and after the ground had been thor- 
oughly prepared, the plants were set ten feet apart in 
the row, and twelve between the rows. No crop was 
planted among the trees, but the ground was kept clean 
and free from weeds during the summer, with cultivator 
and harrow. All suckers springing from the base of the 



134 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 








FILBERT OR HAZELNUT. 



135 



stems were removed as soon as they appeared, and under 
such treatment the plants made a vigorous growth. Two 
years later quite a number of the trees came into bear- 
ing, these showing that I was likely to have nearly as 
many varieties in my orchard as there were trees. Some 
of the varieties might be better than the parent, but the 
greater part were certain to be inferior in size. The 
fourth year after planting in the orchard the trees gave 
me a heavy crop of nuts, and they made a fine appear- 












FIG. 41. VARIETIES OF FILBERTS AND HAZEL SEEDLINGS. 

ance as one looked down between the long rows, as 
shown in Fig. 40. But this season my old enemy, the 
filbert blight, appeared again, and branches and main 
stems began to blacken and the leaves to wither. But I 
had bushels of nuts and in great variety, and by send- 
ing specimen baskets of the long-husk varieties to deal- 
ers in New York, learned that there was an almost 
unlimited demand for such nuts, at prices ranging from 



136 



THE KUT CULTUEIST. 




FIG. 42. EXTRA LARGE HAZEL SEEDLING OR ROUND ENGLISH FILBERT. 



FILBERT OR HAZELNUT. 



137 




138 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

thirty to seyenty-five cents per pound, if sent to market 
in their fresh, half-ripened husk; but later on, when 
the nuts have fallen out and become thoroughly ripened, 
as when imported, ten cents a j)ound may be considered 
an average price for the larger varieties. Several of 
these are shown in Fig. 41, of natural size and form. 
Another extra-large hazel is shown in Fig. 42. The 
fifth year after planting, my specimen filbert orchard 
had suffered so much from blight that it appeared as 
shown in Fig. 43 ; but a few dozen trees have been re- 
served, the rest being removed and reduced to ashes. 

Name and Nature of the Filbert Blight. — The 
reader must not suppose that one who has spent as much 
time and money as the writer in experimenting with 
these nuts, would make no effort to discover the origin 
and name of such a virulent disease, and means of de- 
stroying it if these were known. For many years I had 
been well aware of its presence in nearly all of the nur- 
series of the older States, as well as in the public parks 
and private gardens. In the meantime I had diligently 
examined the reports of the Division of Vegetable Pa- 
thology of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, as well 
as the hundreds of bulletins of the various State experi- 
ment stations, treating of the fungous diseases of plants, 
all without finding a hint or reference to this widely 
distributed and destructive blight of the filbert. I also 
sent many specimens of the diseased twigs and branches 
to professional mycologists, with no better results. 
With the nature of the disease, its mode of multi- 
IDlication and distribution, I had become somewhat fa- 
miliar, but the information sought was : Had it ever 
been described and given a scientific name, and if so, 
wdiere, and by whom ? This much of its history had 
somehow escaped me, and, as it would appear from the 
following correspondence, the chances were none too 
good of finding it. 



FILBERT OR HxVZELNUT. 139 

In reply to an inquiry directed to the U. S. Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, Division of Vegetable Pathology, 
I received the following : 

Washington, D. C, Aug. 4. 1894, 
Dear Sir: 

Your letter of Aug. 2, relating to the disease of the filbert, 
is at hand. In reply I have to say that we have not investi- 
gated this trouble, and are therefore unable to furnish you 
with any definite information upon it. Specimens of the dis- 
ease, as you describe it, have never been, so far as I know, re- 
ferred to the Division, nor am I able to find any record of any 
such disease in foreign or domestic literature. If you will 
send us specimens we shall be pleased to examine them and 
furnish you a report. We should also be pleased to have any 
information from you in regard to the manner in which the 
disease works. Very truly, 

B. T. GALLOWAY, Chief of Division. 

The specimens requested were forwarded promptly 
by mail, and in the absence of the Chief of Division, 
they fell into the hands of one of his assistants, who re- 
ported as follows : 

Washington, D. C, Aug. 14, 1894. 
Dear Sir: 

Your letter of Aug. 7 is received, together with^the speci- 
mens. The stems of the Corylus are affected with one of the 
Pyrenomycetes. Cryptospora anomala, Pk. The fungus is 
described in " North American Pyrenomycetes," by Ellis and 
Everhart, p. 531. It attacks Corylus Americana, but appears 
to be worst on the European varieties, as you say. The pus- 
tules appear first on the young branches, and later on the 
older ones and on the trunk. The roots are not killed. 

The only remedy known is to cut out and burn the dis- 
eased stems. Whether Bordeaux mixture or any other copper 
solution will protect the shrub from attack, is not known. So 
far as I know, it has not been tried. It is probable, however, 
that if the stems were thoroughly sprayed with the Bordeaux 
mixture they would be protected from attack. The mycelium 
of the fungus grows into the cambium and practically girdles 
the stems. The black pustules contain the spores. 

Very truly yours, 
ALBERT F. WOObs, Acting Chief. 



140 THE KUT CULTUKIST. 

On tlie receipt of this note of Prof. Woods, I looked 
up Ellis and E^erhart's work, a voluminous one of over 
800 octavo pages, published by the authors at Newfield, 
N. Jo This filbert blight is briefly described under the 
scientific name of Gryj)tospora anomala, Pk., but Pi'of. 
Peck writes me that ^'the description was made from 
specimens discovered near Albany, N. Y., in May, 1874. 
In 1882 this description was republished by Saccardo, in 
his '^Syllage Fungorum," Vol. I, p. 470, under the name 
of Cryjjtosjjorella anomala. The original name in Ee- 
port 28, p. 72, was Diatrype anomala. In 1892 Ellis and 
Everhart, in '^Pyrenomycetesof North America," j)- 531, 
changed the name again, making it Cryptosi^ora ano- 
mala J^ So at present we have the names of this fungus 
in the following order : 

Diatrypes anomaly Peck, 1876. 

CryptosporeUa anomala, Sacc, 1882. 

Cryptospora anomala, E. and E., 1892. 

Ellis and Everhart, after giving scientific descrip- 
tion, add, '' On living stems of Corylus Americana, 
Albany, ]^. Y. (Peck), Iowa (Holoway), on Corylus Avel- 
lana, J^ewfield, N. J. The pustules appear first on 
the smaller branches, and are serrately arranged along 
one side of the branch ; afterwards they appear also on 
the larger branches and on the trunk itself, and in the 
course of two or three years the |)art of tree above 
ground is entirely killed. The roots, however, still 
retain their vitality, and continue to send up each year 
a luxuriant growth of new shoots, destined to be de- 
stroyed the succeeding year by the inexorable pest. The 
imported trees seem to be more injuriously affected than 
the native species." 

The observations of Ellis and Everhart and Prof. 
Woods accord with my own, but I may say that the in- 
fested branches often show the presence of the mycelium 
in the bark and alburnum, — by a slight shrinking, — 



FILBERT OR HAZELNUT. 



Ui 



i\ 



weeks or months before the pnstnles appear, for tliese 
are merely indications of the last stage in the life of the 
fungus, and with the throwing off the spores from these 
pustules the old parasite perishes. 

The pustules, when fully open, are from one-six- 
teenth to one-eighth of an inch in diam.- 
eter, usually round, but sometimes slightly 
oyal in form, and placed mainly in almost 
straight rows lengthways of the branch, as 
shown in Fig. 44. These pustules appear 
on wood of all ages, from two years upward, 
and in what may be termed patches, rang- 
ing from a few inches to a foot or more in 
length, and more frequently on the upper 
side than the underside of the branches. 

This fungus is undoubtedly indige- 
nous, and its host plant is the common 
American hazel (C. Americana). From a 
very careful search, I have not been able to 
find any clump of these bushes of any con- 
siderable size that v/as entirely free from 
pustulous stems. But on these wild j^lants 
it seems to do but little harm, for if a stem 
is killed, another soon springs u|) from the 
roots to take its place ; but when this fun- 
gus invades our orchards and gardens and 
attacks filbert trees, we recognize it as an 
implacable enemy. How far the sjjores^of 
this fungus are likely to be carried by the 
wind, transported on the clothes of a per- 
son, or the hair of domestic animals, I do 
not knolv, but it certainly is not safe to 
plant the susceptible species and varieties hazel fungus. 
within a mile of the wild hazel bushes, unless the planter 
is prepared to use fungicides freely on his trees. There 
are certain phases of this filbert blight that are rather 



* 



FIG. 44. 



142 THE isTT CULTURIST. 

obscure and scarcely exjDlainable ; as, for instance, its 
virulence among some species and varieties, and almost 
if not total absence among others. So far as my obser- 
vation extends, I have never found it attacking the na- 
tive beaked hazel {Corylus rostrata), and my correspond- 
ents in the Northwest and in the Pacific States assure 
me that no blight on the hazel has, as yet, been found 
there, and its absence is probably due to the fact that 
the common hazel {G. Americana) is not an inhabitant 
of these regions. 

In a neighbor's garden just across the highway from 
my own, there are, at this time, four old Euroj^ean 
hazelnut trees, fully twenty feet high and as man 3^ years 
old. They are of two varieties : one a small round nut, 
the other a long, slender nut, but neither of much value, 
because of their small size. The trees, however, are 
perfectly healthy, never having suffered from the blight, 
although these four are all that remain of a long row 
of choice European varieties all planted at the same 
time. Blight destroyed the better varieties, while these 
inferior ones continue to thrive and are exceedingly 
productive. 

This native fungus that causes blight in the hazels 
is but one of a large number of similar maladies which 
have appeared and often worsted the horticulturist, in 
his endeavor to introduce and cultivate foreign sj)ecie3 
and varieties of plants, and like the tropical fevers, they 
may pass unnoticed among the natives, but are terribly 
fatal to immigrants from cooler climates. The disease 
so well known as the black knot {OWiia morhosa, Schu.), 
and widely destructive to the European varieties of the 
plum, and Morello cherries, has existed for ages among 
our native plums and black cherries, doing compara- 
tively little harm ; but it seems to protest, by its viru- 
lence, against the introduction of some foreign species. 
The same is true with various blights and rusts which 



FILBERT OR IIAZEL:&;rUT. 1-13 

attack the exotic pear, a2:)ple, quince, peach, and other 
of the larger fruits, and we have only to ascend the 
scale a few degrees from the microscopic fungi to the 
microscopic insects, to meet on the yery threshold of 
this realm the minute but unconquerable grape louse 
(Phylloxera vastatrix), which for more than two centu- 
ries has prevented the successful cultivation of the Euro- 
pean varieties of the grape in the open air everywhere 
east of the Rocky mountains in JSTorth America; although 
this minute insect has ever been present and a constant 
parasite of the indigenous species of the grape, but 
scarcely affecting the health of its host. The plum cur- 
culio, chestnut and hickory weevils, bean weevil, and 
many other similar species of insects appear to be ever 
|)rotesting against the introduction of exotic j)lants, as 
well as the improvement of our indigenous kinds. 

It is this blight, and nothing else, that has pre- 
vented the extensive cultivation of the improved varie- 
ties of the European filbert and hazelnut in this coun- 
try, and not the uncongenial soil and climate, as has 
been so often ^^ officially" proclaimed by men whose the- 
ories are far greater than their practical knowledge of 
such subjects. Men whose experience with these nuts 
has been limited to a few isolated bushes or trees in gar- 
dens or nurseries, where they were protected, or beyond 
the reach of the spores of the blight fungus, as has 
already been noted in the experience of Prince, Downing, 
Barry, and my neighbor Butler, of Brooklyn, could 
scarcely understand why others should remain so indif- 
ferent to such a promising industry, or why the demand 
for the trees remained so limited, with scarcely an 
attempt to plant filbert orchards anywhere in this coun- 
try. ]N"urserymen have continued to offer the choice 
varieties at low prices per plant, and to advise their cus- 
tomers to cultivate filberts extensively, even to setting 
them in hedgerows ; and yet home-grown filberts remain 



144 THE KUT CULTUEIST. 

as rare in our markets as they were a hundred years a^o, 
and all due to the simple reason that the insidious filbert 
blight still scatters its spores unrestrained. 

With the present almost universal employment of 
various fungicides for the destruction of blights, mil- 
dews and rusts on cultivated fruits and vegetables, we 
may confidently assert that the diseases of the filbert 
may be readily controlled by the same means. The 
spraying of the trees with Bordeaux mixture and other 
copper solutions will certainly destroy the f nngus spores, 
and with these out of the way filbert culture may be- 
come of as much importance and as popular here as it is 
in certain countries of Europe. In my own experience 
I have found no other nut tree (barring alwaj^s the 
blight) that has been more satisfactory. The plants 
come forward rapidly, fruiting freely and abundantly 
when young, and if properly trained, the crop can be 
gathered with little labor, and as it is ready for use a 
month or more in advance of the arrival of fresh nuts 
from abroad, the home market during the time is at oar 
command. 

The number of applications of the fungicides that 
will be necessary during the season to rid the trees of 
blight, or the strength of the copper solution used, will 
depend somewhat upon circumstances and the condition 
of the subjects operated upon. If the trees are growing 
near hedges of wild hazels, where there is a constant or 
annual influx of the fungus spores, then greater care 
will be required to suppress them than if the trees are 
some distance from such sources of contagion ; and it 
may be well for those contemplating j)lanting filbert 
orchards, to examine their surroundings carefully in ad- 
vance, in order to avoid local blight-breeding plants, 
and have these destroyed if any are found. I would also 
warn the cultivator against collecting branches of the 
wild hazel in the spring, carrying pollen-bearing catkins 



FILBERT OR HAZELNUT. 145 

to be employed in fertilizing the pistillate flowers of the 
cultivated varieties, for by such means blight spores may 
be readily introduced into orchard and garden. 

It will seldom be necessary to practice artificial fer- 
tilization, where any considerable number of trees are 
grown near together, because if ninety per cent, of the 
male catkins are winterkilled, the few remaining will be 
sufficient to supply pollen for the j)istillate flowers. 
In my grounds filberts have never failed to produce an- 
nual crops after reaching a bearing age, although they 
have been subjected to great extremes of temperature in 
winter. One year the trees were in full bloom the last 
week in February, and although cold weather followed, 
the protected pistillate flowers were not injured. The 
winters of 1894 and 1895 were among the severest, 
in the way of continuous low temperature, I have ever 
experienced here, and while the filberts did not bloom 
until the first week in April, the crop proved to be 
abundant. 

Insects Injurious to Filberts. — My personal ob- 
servations lead me to believe that the filberts and hazels 
are, in this country, remarkably free from the depreda- 
tions of noxious insects. Two species of nut weevils 
have been reported as breeding in the wild hazelnuts, 
viz., Balaninus oUusus, and B. nasicns, but among 
the many bushels of the European varieties of the filbert 
produced in my grounds I have never found one infested 
by a weevil or other insect. In Europe a nut weevil 
{B. 7iucum) is said to be very destructive to the wild 
hazel, often invading the filbert orchards, and this 
we can readily believe, because they are not at all un- 
common in the imported nuts, but fortunately have not, 
as yet, become naturalized in this country. 

The great hazel-leaf beetle, or as more generally 
known, elm-leaf beetle {MoJiocesta coryli), lias been 
known in a few instances to attack and defoliate large 
10 



146 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

patches of the wild hazel bushes, but this insect seems 
to prefer the elm, hence is rarely found on the hazels. 
But should it ever invade our filbert orchards, it can be 
readily destroyed by dusting or spraying the trees with 
Paris green, London purple, or other well-known in- 
secticides. There may be an occasional invasion of cat- 
erpillars, like the tent worms, spanworms, leaf rollers of 
various species, and what are called leaf miners, but as 
these infest almost all kinds of deciduous trees and 
shrubs, we cannot consider them specially injurious to 
the filberts and hazels. 



CHAPTER vrr. 

HICKORY KUTS. 

Hicoria, Rafinesque. Name probably fleriyecl from 
the aboriginal or Indian word hickery, or hickory, the 
common name for these nuts among the tribes formerly 
inhabiting the Middle and Southern Atlantic States. /^ 

Order, JuglandacecB (Walnut family). — Native de- 
ciduous trees of large size, with compound serrate leaves 
with an odd number of leaflets, varying from five to fif- 
teen in the different species, the three terminal ones 
usually much the largest, the lower ones on opposite 
sides of the rather stout leafstalk. Male catkins slen- 
der, cylindrical, pendulous, two to six inches long, three 
in a cluster, on a naked peduncle or stalk (Fig. 46) 
springing from the base of the terminal buds of the pre- 
vious season's twigs, and just below the first set of new 
leaves in spring ; calyx unequally three-parted ; stamens 
three to eight. Female fiowers two or more in a cluster, 
from the end of the new growth of the season, which 
becomes the common peduncle or fruit-stalk of a single 
nut or cluster of nuts. The flowers are destitute of 
petals ; stigma short, broad, and four-lobed ; husk fleshy 
or leathery, smooth, very thick in some species and 
thin in others, partly or wholly four-lobed, opening in 
some, allowing the nut to drop out at maturity, in others 
adhering, falhng off entire when ripe. Nuts with hard, 
bone-like shell, round or oblong, smooth or deeply four 
to six angled, somewhat flattened or compressed in most 
of the species ; kernel two-lobed, oily, sweet and deli- 
cious, as in the common shellbark hickory, or extremely 
bitter, as in the bitter nut. 

147 



148 THE K-UT CULTUEIST. -^ 

History.— The early white settlers of the Atlantic 
States found the hickory nut in common use among the 
Indians, who gathered and stored them in large quanti- 
ties in the fall, for food during the winter months, and 
while our ancestors who sought to make homes in the 
western wilderness may haye appreciated these luxuries, 
they needed land for cultiyation, and to secure it the 
forests were destroyed, with no thought of preserving 
trees that would yield food for themselves or succeeding 
generations. Not only were the forests cleared away, as 
things to be banished from sight and mind, but as the 
hickories yielded superior timber for various agricultural 
and other implements, as well as for fuel, they were 
often sought for and utilized in advance of the general 
clearing of wood lands, and the first to feel the wood- 
man's axe. 

William Bartram, in the account of his travels 
through the Southern Atlantic States, from 1773 to 
1778, and published in Philadelphia in 1791, says, in 
referring to these nuts, that they are held '^^in great 
estimation with the present generation of Indians, par- 
ticularly Juglans exaltata, commonly called shellbarked 
hickory ; the Creeks store up the latter in their towns. 
I have seen above an hundred bushels of these nuts be- 
longing to one family. They pound them to pieces, and 
then cast them into boiling water, which, after passing 
through fine strainers, preserves the most oily part of 
the liquid ; this they call by a name which signifies 
'hickory milk;' it is as sweet and rich as fresh cream, 
and is an ingredient in most of their cookery, especially 
in hominy and corn cakes." 

AYe can readily imagine what a delicious liquid 
hickory milk must be in which to cook hominy, rice, 
and similar kinds of grain ; and there would be no dan- 
ger from tuberculosis in this natural jDroduct of the veg- 
etable kingdom. Perhaps at some future day, when 



HICKORY NUTS. 149 

milch cows are as rare in this country as they have been 
for ages in China and Japan, hickory milk will come 
into vogue again and be more highly valued by our peo- 
ple than it ever was by the aborigines. 

While we have no romantic tales to repeat in which 
either hickory trees or the nuts have played an important 
part, yet we can well imagine that such delicious food 
must, in ages past, as well as in our own times, have 
been a coveted luxury, enjoyed at many a social gathering 
of friends and neighbors. Many a country boy and girl 
has welcomed the early autumn frosts, because they an- 
nounced the opening of the nutting season, reminding 
them of the long winter evenings near at han4, and that 
the industrious and nimble squirrel was a sharp com- 
petitor in the nutting field ; consequently, no time could 
be wasted if a store of such luxuries was to be gathered 
for home use, or to be sent to city or village market for 
the benefit of less fortunate consumers. It is to be 
hoped that this source of pleasure and profit may con- 
tinue long after the original forests of our country have 
disappeared, and through the preservation and planting 
of the noble food-bearing hickories by the roadsides, in 
orchards, also for shelter, shade and ornament. Valua- 
ble as hickory timber and hickory nuts have always been 
to the inhabitants of this country, we might reasonably 
suppose that there would be many thousands of these 
trees planted every year, in order to keep up a supply 
and make good the annual loss sustained in the destruc- 
tion constantly going on in our forests. But no such 
plantings appear to have been undertaken in our North- 
ern States, and only quite recently in the Southern, 
where the pecan nut is attracting considerable attention, 
on account of the increase in demand, and the advance in 
price obtained for them in the markets. Furthermore, 
with the many millions of dollars expended by the gen- 
eral government to encourage the planting, preservation 



150 THE I^UT CULTUKIST. 

and cultivation of forest trees, no special encouragement 
has been extended to the nut-bearing kinds, and the 
man who plants a cottonwood or worthless willow is 
given as much credit as though he planted and reared a 
tree a thousaud times more yaluable to himself and the 
country at large. 

This may not be a very creditable phase of nut cul- 
ture in the United States, but it is history, nevertheless, 
and to attempt to suppress it would merely be encour- 
aging negligence, which has already become so general 
that the inferior varieties of hickory nuts command a 
much higher price in our markets than the very choicest 
did a few years ago. 

The nomenclature of the walnut family has been 
subjected to various revisions by botanists, during the 
present century, and there are probably others yet to 
follow in the near or distant future. In all other stand- 
ard botanical works published prior to 1817-1818, the 
hickories were classed with the butternut, black walnut 
and Persian walnut, and under the generic name of 
J^tgJans. But in the year 1818 Mr. Thomas Nuttall, an 
eminent English botanist, who had given years to wan- 
dering through our forests and studying American 
plants, separated the hickories from the older genus of 
Jtiglans, placing them in a new one, to which he gave 
the name of Carya, from an ancient Greek name of the 
w^alnut tree. This classification of Nuttalk's was imme- 
diately adopted by the botanists of his time, and has 
been observed, scarcely without question, by the authors 
of all the numerous botanical works published in Amer- 
ica and Europe during the past seventy-five years. But 
now we are informed by some of our noted botanists 
that, in deference to the law of priority dominant in 
matters scientific, IVuttall's name for this genus must 
be abandoned, inasmuch as Mr. C. S. Eafinesque, 
an erratic Frenchman possessing considerable ability 



HICKORY NUTS. 151 

for botanical research, and who came to this country 
several years before Nuttall, — as some recent investiga- 
tions appear to prove, ^defined the distinct character- 
istics of the hickories, and not only pro2:)osed, but pub- 
lished the name Hicoria for this genus in 1817, while 
Kuttall's Gary a did not appear until one year later, viz. : 

1818. For these dates I am mainly indebted to Dr. N. 
L. Britton, who appears to have been delving among 
''^ first editions" of the works of the authors named 
(Bulletin, Torrey Botanical Club, 1888). 

It seems strange, however, at this late date, that 
such eminent botanists as the late Dr. John Torrey and 
Dr. Asa Gray, who were both intimately acquainted 
with, in fact associates of, Eafinesque, should have ig- 
nored his rights in regard to the name of Hicoria, if he 
was really entitled to the honor of founding this genus 
and separating the hickories from the Juglmis. But for 
some good reason they left the matter in abeyance, for 
their successors to settle. Dr. Torrey does, in a way, 
recognize Eafinesque, in his '^Catalogue of Plants With- 
in Thirty Miles of the City of N"ew York," published in 

1819, but in a manner which shows that he had no con- 
fidence in Eafinesque's claim, but did approve of K"ut- 
talFs classifications and name of Carya, for on page 74 
he refers to the hickories as follows : '" Carya, K"uttall ; 
Hichoria, Eafinesque." 

From this it appears that Dr. Torrey did not adopt 
Hicoria as the proper mode of spelling this word, but 
retained the letter k in giving it a Latin form. This is 
not strange, inasmuch as Eafinesque had no settled form 
of his own, and varied the spelling at different times ; 
as, for instance. Scoria, Hicoria, HicTcorius and Hi- 
corias. It is but reasonable to suppose that Dr. Torrey 
was familiar with Eafinesque's earlier writings, and also 
whether his proposed generic name of Scoria, in 1808, 
was legitimate, or a misspelling of Hicoria, as suggested 



152 THE XUT CULTCKIST. 

by Dr. Britton. Bnt of one thing we may rest assured, 
and that is. Dr. Torrey would not knowingly detract 
from, nor fail to give every man full credit for his labors 
in any branch of natural history or elsewhere, and he 
certainly must have known Eafiuesque in all his eccen- 
tricities and moods, for when in New York city he was 
usually the guest of Dr. Torrey, and these relations con- 
tinued for many years. 

A few of our leading botanists, haying recently de- 
cided that Eafinesque's name of Hicoria must be re- 
stored, in deference to the laws of priority, and IS'uttairs 
Carya be relegated to the position of a synonym, I have 
concluded to adopt it in this work, although 1 am well 
aware that a large majority of our botanists have pro- 
tested against this change, probably because of the con- 
fusion it is likely to cause in the botanical literature of 
our times. My own reason for adopting Hicoria is not 
so much from any special reverence to the laws of prior- 
ity, but because it is derived from an old American In- 
dian name, and for all such I have a profound regard, 
and would retain and adopt them whenever and wher- 
ever they are at all appropriate to products indigenous 
to this country. The hickories being purely American, 
and unknown to Greece or Gr reeks, a semi-native name 
is all the more acceptable. It is not to be expected that 
botanical quibbles are of any special interest to the prac- 
tical nut culturist, for a pecan or a shellbark hickory 
will taste just as sweet and command as high a j)rice in 
market under one scientific name as another; but the 
cultivator may have occasion to look up the botanical 
name of his trees in some school botany, or other botan- 
ical work, and fail to find it, in the absence of some guide 
to the various changes that have been made in the name 
of the genus, as well as in the name of the synonyms of 
the different species. Then, again, propagators and 
dealers in trees are prone to employ unfamiliar names. 



HICKORY XUTS. 153 

whether they are old or new, this adding to the confu- 
sion, without benefit to either purchaser or cultivator. 

To assist those who may have occasion to consult 
these pages for either the common or botanical names of 
the different species of the hickory, I shall endeavor to 
give the greater part of those compiled by Prof. C. S. 
Sargent (Tenth Census), Dr. Britton, and other emi- 
nent authorities whose works I have had occasion to 
consult ill writing this treatise. It is not certain, how- 
ever, that these revisions and readjustments of the sci- 
entific names of this genus of trees will remain undis- 
turbed for any considerable number of years, for we 
have ^^ many men of many minds" at work in the line 
of botanical research, and it can scarcely be exjDected 
that all will reach the same conclusion, either in fact or 
fancy; besides, it is often difficult, if not wholly impos- 
sible, to determine a species from the description given 
by the earlier botanists, for they are generally very brief 
and vague, and will often apply equally well to two or 
more species of the same genus. In some instances not 
a word is given in the way of description, merely a 
name, as in "Bartram's Travels" (1791), where he speaks 
of Juglans exaltata, a tall-growing hickory found in the 
region through which he was traveling, and we now 
know that it may have been any one of two or three spe- 
cies indigenous to the Southern States. 

Under such confusing circumstances I shall make 
no claim of infallibility in applying names to species, 
but attempt no more than my predecessors have in the 
same direction, and my contemporaries are now attempt- 
ing, i. e., make as close a guess as possible as to the spe- 
cies or variety of hickory which the earlier authors in- 
tended to name and briefly describe. The date of pub- 
lication of some of the earlier works consulted are given, 
as an earnest of my desire to assent to the law of priority 
in such matters. 



154 



THE KUT CULTURIST. 




FIG. 45. FoUiiTEEK YEAKS OLD PECAjV TKEE IN MISSISSIPPI. 



HICKORY I^UTS. 155 

Pecan" kut, Illin-qis nut [Hicoria Pecan. Mar- 
shall). — Leaves with thirteen to fifteen leaflets, oblong- 
lanceolate, serrate, pointed; nuts mostly oblong, smooth; 
husk thin, somewhat four-angled and four-valved, these 
at maturity shrinking, and falling apart when dropping 
to the ground. Shell of nut generally thin, smooth or 
slightly corrugated, yaryihg widely in both form and 
size from less than one inch in length to nearly or quite 
two inches, abruptly blunt, or long and sharp pointed ; 
the two-lobed cotyledon or kernel oily, sweet and deli- 
cious. A large, tall, but usually slender tree, with 
smooth or sHghtly furrowed bark, as seen in Fig. 45. 
Mainly indigenous to river bottoms in the Southern and 
Southwestern States, extending northward to Indiana, 
Illinois, Missouri and Southern Iowa. 

Synonyms and their authors : 

Juglans Pecan, Marshall, Arboretum Americanum, 
1785. 

Juglans Pecan, Walter, 1787. 

Juglans olivmformis, Willdenow, 1809. 

Carya o/^Vq/brm^5, Nuttali, 1818. 

Jiiglans Illinoiensis, Wangenheim, 1787. 

Juglans angustifolia, Alton, Hortus Kewensis. 

Juglans ruhra, Gaertner. 

Juglans cylindrical Lamarck. 

Shellbark or shagbark hickory {Hicoria alha. 
Clayton). — Leaflets mostly five, occasionally seven, the 
three upper ones obovate-lanceolate, the lower pair much 
smaller and oblong-lanceolate, as shown in Fig. 46, all 
taper-pointed, finely serrate, and slightly downy under- 
neath. Terminal buds large and scaly. Fruit globose, 
somewhat depressed; husk smooth, very thick, firm, 
scarcely shrinking at maturity, but opening and falling 
with the nuts when ripe, l^uts variable in size, mainly 
thin-shelled, white, compressed or flattened, four-angled, 
with deep corrugations, blunt, rarely sharp-pointed; 



156 



THE XUr CULTUKIST. 




FIG. 4G. I.EAF AXD STERILE CATKINS OF SHELLBARK HICKORY. 



HICKORY NUTS. 157 

kernel large, sweet and excellent. One of the most 
common and popular of the indigenous edible nuts, col- 
lected in large quantities as they ripen in autumn, for 
home use and for sale, as the demand for this excellent 
nut is almost unlimited. A large tree, fifty to eighty 
feet high, and stem one to three feet in diameter, with 
a shaggy or scaly bark, which on old trees may be read- 
ily pulled off in long, shell-like plates. Timber Avell 
known as valuable for many purposes. This species has 
a very wide range, or from Maine to Florida in the East- 
ern States, and westward to Minnesota, thence south- 
ward through eastern Kansas, Missouri, Indian Territory 
and eastern Texas. 

Synonyms : 

Juglans cdha, Clayton, Flora Virginica, 1739. 

Juglans alba ovata, Miller, Gard. Diet., 1754. 

Juglans alba, Linn., Spec, pi., 1754. 

Juglans alba ovata, Marshall, 1785. 

Juglans compressa {?), Willdenow, 1809. 

Juglans exalt ata (?), Bartram, 1791, 

Juglans alba, Nnttall, 1818. 

Juglans yar. microcarpa, Nuttall. 

Juglans sqiiamosa {?), Lamarck. 

Jugla7is ovalis {?), Wangenheim. 

Although Clayton, as with most of the earlier bota- 
nists, fails to giye any description of the foliage of the 
hickories he mentions, and all have the affix alba (white), 
yet his reference to the form of the nut and the scaly 
bark of the tree is sufficient to enable ns to identify the 
species as that of our common shellbark hickory of the 
Atlantic States, which extends through the regions 
where he gathered his botanical specimens. 

Big shellbakk, thick or Western shellbark, 
ETC. {Hicoria laciniosa. Michaux). — Leaflets seven to 
nine, obovate-oblong, finely serrate, roughish-downy or 
pubescent beneath. Buds large, composed of rather 



158 



THE KUT CULTURIST. 




FIG. 47. WESTERN SHELLBAEK. 



loose grayish scales ; the young twigs stout, with a gray 
bark, most noticeable in winter. Fruit large, oval to 
oblong, usually four-ribbed above the middle, with de- 
pressions between ; husk 
thick, somewhat spongy, 
shrinking at maturiLy, and 
splitting open from uop down- 
ward. Nut large, with prom- 
inent ridges, and strongly 
pointed, but slightly com- 
pressed at the sides, as seen 
in Fig. 47 ; shell thick and of 
a dull yellowish color ; kernel 
moderately large, as shown 
across section of nut in Fig. 
48, but much smaller in pro- 
portion to the size of the nut 
than in the two preceding 
species, but ic is sweet, w^ell flavored, and easily removed 
from ihe shell when cracked. The very large size of 
these nuts makes them a favorite, especially where the 
23ecan and the true shellbarks are 
not plentiful. These nuts were 
formerly known as the Springfield 
or Gloucester nut. A very large 
tree, sixty to eignty feet high, and 
two to four feet in diameter, with 
thick, scaly bark, the scales some- 
what thicker than in tne common 
shellbark hickory of the Atlantic 
States. A rare tree, except in the 
valleys west of the Alleghanies, ^^^ ^3^ section west- 
although it is reported to have ern shellbark. 
been found in Chester county, Pennsylvania, and thence 
west to southern Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, eastern 
Kansas, and the Indian Territory. Plentiful in the 




HICKORY HUTS. 159 

bottom lands along the Ohio, Mississippi and lower Mis- 
souri. Elliott, in '^Botany of South Carolina and 
Georgia" (1824), says it is rare in the low country 
of Carolina, but he does not say that it is found plen- 
tiful anywhere in the South. That he was sometimes in 
doubt in regard to the identification of this and other 
sjDecies may be inferred from his remark, namely : " The 
greater part of our hickories resemble each other so 
closely in their leaves and yary so much in their fruit 
that it is very difficult to discriminate the species." 

It is this difficulty of identification which has led to 
so much confusion in the api^lication of the specific 
names, for the earlier botanists rarely had an opportu- 
nity of a close and careful examination of the trees or 
other j^lants which they attempted to describe. In rela- 
tion to the species under consideration, we find that the 
specific name of sulcata, so long in use, was adoj^ted by 
Nuttall, from some earlier or contemporaneous author, 
— a system he followed with all the different species of 
the hickory, but without, in some instances, any dis- 
crimination or regard to their adaptation or validity. 
If there was anything to show that Willdenow (1796) 
had this Western shellbark in mind, or that he or his 
correspondents in this country had ever seen or collected 
it, then we might adopt the name of sulcata as the orig- 
inal and true one ; but in the absence of such informa- 
tion, with a full and accurate description of the species 
and its habitats by Michaux, under the name of laciniosa, 
I think, in common justice to one of the most eminent 
dendrologists who ever visited this country, the name 
given should stand as the true one for this species. See 
Michaux, '^ North American Sylva," Vol. I, p. 128. 

Synonyms : 

Juglans sulcata (?), Willdenow, 1796. 

Juglans laciniosa, Michaux, 1810. 

Carya sulcata, ISTuttall, 1818. 

Carya cordiformis^ Koch, Dendrologie. 



160 THE K-UT CULTURIST. 

The three preceding s]3ecies are probably the only 
ones worthy of propagation for their fruit, or that have 
and are likely to yield yarieties of any considerable eco- 
nomic value ; but as it is important that the nut ciilturist 
should know the materials he is using, and whether 
they be of the best or otherwise, I shall admit all the 
species, without regard to their merits or value for 
cultivation. 

Mocker kut, bull kut, big-bud hickory, kii^g 
NUT, WHITE-HEART HICKORY, ETC. {HicoHa tomeutosa. 
Michaux). — Leaflets mostly seven, occasionally nine, 
large, oblong-obovate, rather long pointed, slightly ser- 
rate, smooth on both sides while young, becoming rough- 
ish downy underneath when fully developed in summer ; 
leafstalks and catkins also somewhat downy. Fruit 
medium to very large, round or ovoid, with a very thick 
woody husk, which sjplits nearly or quite down to the 
base, but usually falling with the enclosed nut entire, or 
bursting open as they strike the ground. I^ut very 
thick shelled, smooth, or strongly four to six angled, 
white at first, but becoming a dull brown when exposed 
to the light. The kernel is sweet, but so small and 
firmly imbedded in the thick shell that it is only to be 
removed in minute sections, but this is successfully ac- 
complished by the squirrels, who often throw down the 
entire crop from large trees before the shells harden, 
and then pack them away in the ground, in old logs, 
and under the leaves, where they Avill not dry for some 
weeks or months later. An exceedingly variable species, 
especially in the size and form of the nuts ; on some 
trees they are scarcely an inch in diameter, while on 
others they are nearly or quite two inches, but always 
with such a thick, hard shell as to be nearly worthless 
for their meats. The largest of these nuts I have ever 
seen grow in central and western IS'ew York, where 
they are called ^'^King" or "Bull" nuts,, 



HICKORY KUTS. 



161 




FIG. 49. LEAF OF PIGNUT. 



11 



163 THE NUT CULTUEIST. 

The trees grow to a very large size, or from sixty to 
eighty feet high, and two to three feet in diameter, with 
a thick, deeply furrowed bark, not scaly. The wood is 
white, heayy, tough, and nearly as valuable as the com- 
mon shellbark hickory. The terminal buds, and espe- 
cially those on the young seedlings and suckers spring- 
ing up in clearings, are very large, round, short, and 
covered with brownish scales, hence one of the local 
names of big-bud hickory. 

A widely distributed species, or from the valley of 
the St. Lawrence to Florida, and along the great lakes 
to Kebraska, and thence southward to Texas. Unlike 
most of the other hickories, this species seems to prefer 
thin soils, rocky sandstone ridges, and here in l^ew Jer- 
sey almost disappearing in the rich bottom lands along 
our creeks and rivers ; at least, this is its habit here in 
the northern j)art of the State. 

Synonyms : 

Juglans alia (?), Linn., 1754. 

Jiiglans tomPAiiosa, Michaux, 1810. 

Carya tomentosa, ^wiidiW^ 1818. 

Carya tomentosa var. maxima, Nuttall. 

Carya alba, Koch, Dendrologie. 

PiGJnTUT, HOGIs"UT, BROWi^ HICKORY, BLACK HICK- 

OEY, SWITCH-BUD HICKORY {HicoTia glabra. Mil- 
ler). — Leaflets five to seven, mostly seven (Fig. 49), 
ovate-lanceolate, serrate, smooth ; fruit pear-shaped or 
roundish-obovate ; husk very thin, splitting about half 
way down into four sections or valves, these usually re- 
maining attached to the nut for some time after falling, 
in fact, may often be found within the husk all through 
the winter; shell of nut moderately thin but tough) 
with a small, bitterish-sweet kernel. A large, rather 
slender tree in similar and same localities as the last, 
with a close bark but not so deeply furrowed as in the 
mocker nut {H. tomentosa). Of no special value except 



HICKORY NUTS. 



163 




FIG. 50. BITTERNUT. 



164 THE NUT CULTUEIST. 

as a timber tree, and its slow growth makes it less de- 
serving of attention than those species that bear large 
and edible nuts. 

Synonyms : 

Juglans glabra, Miller, 1768. 

Juglans alba acuminata, Marshall, 1785. 

Juglans ohcordata, Lamarck. 

Juglans ijorcina, Michanx. 

Juglans pyriformis, Muhlenberg. 

Juglans p or cina, var. ohcordata, Pursh. 

Juglans porcina, var. pyriformis, Pursh. 

Carya porcina, Nuttall. 

Carya glabra, Torrey. 

Carya amara, yar. porcina, Darby. 

Bittern UT, swamp hickory, pignut {Hicoria 
minima. Marshall). — Leaflets seven to eleven, oblong- 
lanceolate, serrate, smooth and thin; fruit globular, 
with distinct ridges at the seams (Pig. 
50) ; the husk very thin, and at ma- 
turity splitting about halfway to the 
base, the four divisions becoming reflexed 
in maturing, but not separating and 
falling apart as in the thicker-husk spe- 
cies. Nut broadest at the top, sharp- 
FIG.51. BiTTERNUT. pointed, obcordata (Pig. 51), slightly 
depressed ; shell very thin, smooth, white ; kernel in- 
tensely bitter when fully ripe, but greedily eaten by 
squirrels when fresh or in a half milky state. Usually a 
medium-sized, graceful tree, with smooth bark, slender 
twigs, and small, oblong buds covered with a dense yel- 
low pubescence in winter. It grows in moist soils, along 
streams and borders of swamps, and near springs on 
hillsides, from Maine to Plorida, and westward to Min- 
nesota, Nebraska and Kansas. Humphrey Marshall de- 
scribed this species so accurately in his ' 'American 
Grove," under the name of Juglans minima, p. 68, that 




HICKORY KUTS. 165 

there is no good reason to doubt its identity, nor question 
the validity of this name, which should remain as the 
true and original one, and all others of later date bo 
placed among the synonyms. 

Synonyms : 

Juglans (alba) minima, Marshall, 1785. 

Jugla7is cordiformis, Wangenheim, 1787. 

Juglans angustifolia, Lamarck, 1791. 

Juglans amara, Michaux, 1810. 

Hiclcorius amarus, Eafinesque, 1817. 

Carya amara, Nuttall, 1818. 

JSTuTMEG HICKORY {Hicoria myri&ticceformis. Mi- 
chaux). — Leaflets five to seven, ovate-lanceolate, pointed, 
quite smooth on both sides, the terminal leaflet sessile, 
not stalked ; fruit oval ; husk wrinkled and rough, 
thick ; nut small, oval, short-pointed ; the shell furrowed 
and very hard, and of a brownish color marked with 
white lines. Michaux says : '^^The shell is so thick that 
it constitutes two-thirds of the volume of the nut, which, 
consequently, is extremely hard, and has a minute ker- 
nel. It is inferior to the pignut." 

A medium-size tree with slender branches, found in 
a few localities in South Carolina, near swamps and bor- 
ders of streams, and westward to Arkansas, where it 
reaches its greatest development. This hickory has 
been so rarely seen by botanists that Michaux's speciflc 
name, given it more than eighty years ago, has fared a 
better fate than those of our more common and abundant 
species ; consequently, I have only one synonym to re- 
cord, viz. : Carya amara, var. myristicmformis. Cooper, 
in Smithsonian Report, 1858. 

Water hickory, swamp hickory, bitter pe- 
CAK (Hicoria aquatica, Michaux). — Leaflets nine to 
thirteen, generally eleven, narrow and obliquely lanceo- 
late-pointed, slightly serrate, thin and smooth ; fruit 
globular or somewhat egg-shaped, four-ribbed ; husk 



166 



THE NUT CULTUKTST. 



thin, dividing at maturity down to the base ; nut thin- 
shelled, four-angled ; kernel much wrinkled and very 
bitter. This is closely allied to if not a more Southern 
form of our common bitternut. A small tree in swamps 
and river bottoms from North Carolina south to Florida, 
and west to Texas. 
Synonyms : 

Juglans aquatica, Michaux. 
Hicorius integrifoUa, Eafinesque. 
Carya aqiiatica, Nuttall. 
Carya integrifoUa, Sprengel. 

Varieties of the Hickories. — Every one who 
has ever had occasion to gather or examine hickory nuts 
in the forest, or has seen them in market, must be aware 
of the fact that there is an almost endless variety of each 
and all the different species. But as it 
is only the varieties of the pecan and 
thick- and thin-shelled shagbark hicko- 
ries that are likely to be of any economic 
value to the nut cultur- 
ist, all others will be omit- 
ted. Of the first or pecan 
nut the natural varieties 
are not only exceedingly 
numerous, but vary wide- 
ly in size, form, thickness 
of shell, and productive- 
ness of the individual 
trees. In some the nuts 
are produced singly or in pairs, and from this number 
up to clusters of seven or eight ; these large-clustered 
and extra-prolific varieties are most worthy of special 
attention, especially when the nuts are of good size and 
thin-shelled, as in the large, long pecan (Fig. 52). From 
this size they vary, as shown in Figs. 53, 54, 55. Some 
of the wild varieties have received local names, and. a 





FIG. 52. LAKGE, 
liONG PECAN NUT 



J"IG. 53. OVAL 
PECAN NUT. 





HICKORY NUTS. 167 

very few propagated by grafting, which is probably the 
most practical means known of multiplying them, and 
at the same time preserving their varietal characteristics. 
Choice and extra fine ones are constantly being discov- 
ered and bronght to notice, and doubtless many more 
will follow as the old fields and 
forests of the South and West are 
explored ; besides, there are many 
thousands of seedling trees now 
under cultivation, and from these 
we may expect some marked vari- 
FiG. 54. ations from the original or wild no. 55. lit- 
SMAI.L OVAL, f^j^j^g^ In Bulletin 105, of the ^^^ "'^^^^^ 
North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station for 
1894, and in Report of Assistant Pomologist of U. S. 
Department of Agriculture for same year, we find the 
following-named varieties of pecans : 

Alba. — Size below medium, cylindrical, with 
pointed apex ; cracking qualities good ; shell of medium 
thickness ; corky shell lining thick, adhering to the ker- 
nel ; kernel plump, light colored ; quality good. 

BiLOXi (W. R. Stuart, Ocean Springs, Miss.). — Me- 
dium size, cylindrical, pointed at each end; surface 
quite regular, light brown ; shell thin ; cracking quali- 
ties medium ; kernel plump, with yellowish-brown sur- 
face ; free from astringency, of good quality, and keeps 
well without becoming rancid. Introduced several years 
ago by ^Y. R. Stuart as Mexican Paper Shell, but the 
name has since been changed to Biloxi. 

Columbian (W. R. Stuart, Ocean Springs, Miss.). 
— Large, cylindrical, somewhat compressed at the mid- 
dle, rounding at the base ; pointed and somewhat four- 
sided at the crown; shell rather heavy; cracking qual- 
ities medium ; quality good. In size and form this nut 
closely resembles Mammoth, which was introduced in 
1890 by Richard Frotscher, of New Orleans, La. 



168 THE ifUT CULTURIST. 

Eaely Texai^ (Louis Biediger, Idle wild, Tex.). — 
Size above medium, short, cylindrical, with rounded 
base and blunt conical crown ; shell quite thick, shell 
lining thick, astringent ; cracking qualities medium ; 
kernel not very plump, of mild, nutty flavor; quality 
good. 

Georgia Melok. — Size above medium, short, 
rather blunt at apex ; cracking quality medium ; shell 
rather thick ; kernel plump, brown ; meat yellow, mod- 
erately tender, pleasant, good. 

Gonzales (T. V. Munson, Denison, Tex.). — Above 
medium size, with firm, clear shell; quality excellent. 
Originated in Gonzales county, Tex. 

Harcourt. — Size medium, short, slightly acorn- 
shaped ; cracking qualities medium ; shell rather thick, 
but very smooth inside ; kernel short, very plump ; meat 
yellow, very tender, rich, very good. 

Longfellow. — Size medium, oblong, cylindrical, 
somewhat irregular, enlarging from base to near crown, 
then sharply conical to the apex ; cracking qualities not 
first-class ; shell of medium thickness ; kernel plump 
but rather thin, light-colored; meat white, sweetish, 
rich, good. 

Primate (W. E. Stuart, Ocean Springs, Miss.) — Of 
medium size, slender, rather long ; shell thin ; quality 
good ; ripens in September, thirty days before other 
nuts. 

RiBERA. — Size above medium, oblong ovate ; crack- 
ing qualities good ; shell thin ; kernel plump, light 
brown, free from the bitter, red, corky growth which 
adheres to the shell ; meat yellow, tender, with rich, 
delicate, pleasant flavor. 

Faust. — A South Carolina variety of medium to 
large size, medium shell and good quality. 

Frotscher. — A Louisiana variety of large size, very 
thin shell, and plump kernel of good quality. 



HICKORY NUTS. 



169 



lUlt, 



Mis- 





FIG. 56. STUART. 



FIG. 57. 
VAN DEMAN. 



Jewett. — From Mississippi ; a large, long 
rather irregular ; shell medium ; quality very good. 
Stuart. — A large, roundish, oblong nut from 
sissippi (Fig. 56). 

Turkey Egg. — A 
variety from Florida ; 
large and thin-shelled. 
VAi^^ Deman. — A 
large variety from Mis- 
si ssij^pi, of oblong form 
and thin shell (Fig. 57). 
From other sources 
we collect other names, 
namely : 

Idlewild. — An oval 
shaped nut from Idle- 
wild, Texas. EeDort of 
U. S. Department of 
Agriculture, 1890. 

EisiEN". — A very broad, thick variety, about one 

inch in diameter, very blunt at both ends. From San 

Saba, Texas (Fig. 58). 

A |)eculiar shaped 
pecan nut is shown in 
Fig. 59, from Louisiana, 
sent under the name of 
Lady Finger. 

From the report of 
the Georgia State Horti- 
cultural Society, 1893, we 
obtain certain local names 
without description, as, 
for instance, Turkey Egg, fig. 59. 
Mexican, Colorado, Pride ^^^^' fingek. 
of the Coast, etc. Col. ^Y. E. Stuart, of Ocean Springs, 
Miss., who has been called the '^ father of pecan culture" 




FIG. 58. KISIEN. 




170 THE NUT CULTUKIST. 

in that State, and is the author of '^The Pecan and 
How to Grow it/' adds two more varieties to the above 
list, viz. : Beauty and OoUimbia ; the latter, as figured 
in the book named, is a very large variety, tapering 
from a broad base to a sharp point. Judge Samuel Mil- 
ler, of Bluff ton. Mo., found some very large and fine 
varieties of the pecan in his neighborhood several years 
ago, on the farm of a man named Meyers, and he pur- 
chased the nuts from the tree bearing the largest in 
the grove and. planted them, and the seedlings have 
since been distributed under the name of ^'Meyers' 
Pecan.'" 

Judge Miller kindly sent me a quantity of these 
nuts, from which I raised some fifty or more trees, and 
all have thus far been uninjured by the cold of our sever- 
est winters. From my own experience in raising pecan 
trees, and I may add, that of some of my neighbors, 
those grown from nuts gathered in the more Southern 
States are almost invariably tender here in the North ; 
but those raised from thoroughly acclimated trees, along 
the northern limits of this species, will give us a hardy 
race, and probably allow of extending their cultivation 
far north of their natural range. Those who intend to 
try pecan culture in the Northern States should bear 
this in mind, and secure nuts and cions from hardy ac- 
climated trees. 

Varieties of the Shellbark. — Of this species 
(H. alba) there are as many distinct natural varieties as 
of the pecan, and while local or neighborhood names are 
plentiful enough, they have not, except in a very few 
instances, been placed on record in agricultural reports 
or other publications. Three small thin-shelled varieties 
are named in the Report of the Pomologist of the U. S. 
Department of Agriculture for 1891, viz. : Milford, 
Shimar and Learning, but neither has been propagated, 
knd they are probably not worthy of it, because there 



HICKOEY KUTS. 



171 







FIG. GO. THE ORIGINAL HALES' PAPER-SHELL HICKORY TREE 



172 



THE l^UT CULTURIST. 



are plenty of larger ones with thin shells which would 
be far more valuable for cultivation. 

A careful research extending over a period of a 
quarter of a century yields only a solitary instance of 
the propagation and dissemination of a variety of the 
shellbark hickory, and this one is Hales^ Paper-shell, 
which I named, described and figured in the Rural Neiu- 
YorTcer, Nov. 19, 1870, p. 382, Vol. XXII. I am thus 
particular in regard to time and place, because years 
hence these facts may be of more importance than at 
the present day. 

The original tree of this remarkable variety is grow- 
ing upon the farm of Mr. Henry Hales, near Eidgewood, 
N. J., and on bottom land within a few rods of the 
Saddle river. The tree is probably more than a hun- 
dred years old, and is about seventy-five feet high, and 
nearly two feet in diameter at the base, and of the shajDC 
shown in Fig. 60, taken from a sketch made in the fall 

of 1894. There 

are a large num- 
ber of the shellbark 

hickories growing 

near by, and while 

there are several 

excellent and very 

large varieties 

among them, the 

one I have named 
is by far the largest and most distinct in form, and with 
the thinnest shell ; in fact, the shell is much thinner 
than in many of the pecan nuts that reach our Northern 
markets from the South. The size and form of these 
nuts is clearly shown in Fig. 61, while the thin shell and 
thick, plump kernel is seen in the cross-section, Fig. 62. 
It will be noticed that these nuts differ from the ordi- 
nary yarieties of this species in the absence of the sharp 





HICKOEY. 



FIG. 62. SECTION OF 
HALES' HICKORY. 



HICKORY NUTS. 



173 




ridges and depressions running from base to ])oint, tlie 
surface of the shell bein.sf broken up into irregular, wavy 
lines, somewhat resembling the shell of the more com- 
mon yarieties of the Persian walnuts. I have occasion- 
ally seen very similar varieties, — but 
of smaller size, — among the mixed lots 
of hickory nuts on sale in our city 
markets, also oblong nuts, as shown 
in Fig. 63, but of course there is no 
way of tracing these to the trees pro- 
ducing them. 

Another merit, in addition to the 
large size and thin shell of the Hales' 
Paper-shell, is its keeping qualities, 
the kernels rarely becoming rancid, 
even when two or more years old, and 

J, , . , -IT •! ' FIG. 63. LONG 

from a long acquamtance with this shkllbark hickory. 
nut and hundreds of other varieties gathered from all 
parts of the United States, I am inclined to place it at 
the head of the list, and as the most valuable sort as yet 
discovered. Ifc is true, however, 
that I have found in the forests, 
and also received, many very large 
and superior nuts of this species, 
that are well worthy of propagation 
and cultivation, but they have 
been, in the main, of the typical 
form, and not of so distinct a type 
as this Paper-shell. Judge Miller 
sent me a few nuts of a shellbark 
found in Missouri, that were even 
larger, and w^ith fully as thin shell 
as that of the Hales' (Fig. 64), but upon making 
further inquiries in regard to the tree that produced 
them, I learned that an incoming railroad line had 
destroyed it, and thus one more tree of inestimable 




FIG. 64. SHELLBAKK 
MISSOURI. 



174 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 



value had been sacrificed in the march of this pro- 
gressive age. 

Varieties of the Western Shellbark. — The 
typical form of the thick or Western shellbark [H. la- 
ciniosa) has already been shown on a preceding page, 
but some remarkable and valuable varieties have been 
found in the Western States, and no doubt others will 
be, when more attention is paid than at present to the 
natural food products of our forests. The tendency of 
this species, in its variations, is usually in the direction 

of an elongation of the nuts, 
e^ en when there is no decrease 
m the thickness of the shell, 
as shown in Fig. 65, taken 
from one of a number of long- 
varieties collected in the West- 
ern States ; and while they do 
not possess any special merit, 
they attract attention, owing 
to their unasual form. 

Nussbaumer's Hybrid. 
— Several years ago I received 
a specimen of a very remark- 
able nut from Judge Samuel 
Miller, of Bluffton, Mo,, un- 
der the name of ^^Nussbaum- 
er's Hybrid Pecan." Judge Miller informed me that he 
had received it from Mr. J. J. Nussbaumer, Mascoutah, 
St. Clair Co., 111., who claimed that it was a hybrid 
between the pecan and the large western shellbark hick- 
ory [H. laciiiiosa). I had an illustration made of this 
specimen, and it appeared, with a brief description, in 
the American Agriculturist for Dec, 1884, p. 546. 
Soon after receiving the specimen nut from Judge Miller 
I opened correspondence with Mr. Nussbaunler, and 
learned from him that only one tree bearing such nuts 




LONG WESTERN 
SHELLBARK. 



HICKORY NUTS. 



175 




FIG. 66. FRESH XUSSBAUMEK HYBKID. 



176 



THE NUT CULTUEIST. 



had ever been found, and this was of large size, six and 
a half feet in circumference, and about fifty feet high, 
the bark somewhat like that of the hickory but nearer 
the pecan. Mr. Nussbaumer sent me specimens of the 
green nuts with leaves and twigs, from the original tree. 
The nuts, however, of that seasou (1884), were badly 
infested with the "hickory-shuck worm^' {Grapliolitha 
caryana, Fitch), and these had so ruined the shucks, 
and even eaten into the shells of the nuts, that few of 
the specimens received were fully developed. But from 
two nuts I had a sketch made while they were fresh and 
of natural size, as shown in Fig. 

66, the dark, irregular marks on 
the husks showing where the 
shuck worm had attacked them. 
One of these nuts is shown in Fig. 

67, also natural size. I planted 
one of the nuts, from which I now 
have a tree about ten feet high, 
but although ten years old it has 
not fruited, and, so far as I can 
judge from its appearance, is a 
pure Western shellbark, with no 
indication of hybridity; but of 
course this does not prove that 

NussBAUMER's HYBRID, thc Original or parent tree is not 
a hybrid, as claimed by Mr. Nussbaumer, Judge Miller, 
and, if I am rightly informed, Prof. T. J. Burrill, of 
the University of Illinois. 

However widely opinions may differ in regard to 
the origin of this variety, it is certainly a most remark- 
able nut, and I regret that the exact location of the 
original tree has entirely escaped my most careful seek- 
ing ; and of late years I have been unable to learn any- 
thing of Mr. Nussbaumer, further than that he had 
moved from Mascoutah to Okawville, 111., the last letter 




HICKOliY NUTS. 177 

received from him being dated Dec. 13, 1887. In one 
of his letters he said that he had raised a large num he i- 
of seedlings from this supposed hybrid, and if these are 
still alive they would be of much scientific interest, espe- 
cially if any of them showed the distinct characteristics 
of either of the supposed 2)arents. 

It would certainly be a pity to have such a remark- 
able nut lost to the world, because if propagated by 
grafting or by any other mode to insure perpetuating its 
varietal characteristics, its value could scarcely be esti- 
mated. The nuts are as thin-shelled as the common 
pecan, the kernel sweet and good, and in addition, the 
tree is a native of a northern State, and would, no 
doubt, prove as hardy as our common shellbark hickories. 

The Floyd pecan. — This is another supposed-to- 
be hybrid, and of the same species of hickory as the 
last ; but the one nut which I received differed from 
the Kussbaumer by being somewhat larger, and the shell 
with more prominent ridges and a little thicker. It 
was said to have been found somewhere in southern In- 
diana by a Mr. Floyd, who, believing it to be of great 
value, refused to give any information likely to aid any 
one else to locate the original tree, neither would he 
part with any of the nuts except the one specimen which 
eventually came into my hands. Of course all horticul- 
turists know that seedlings raised from such freaks 
among nut trees are far too uncertain to be of much 
value, but ignorance in such matters often leads the 
possessor of an article slightly differing from the ordi- 
nary to permit his imagination to warp his good sense. 

Cultivation of the Hickories. — The hickories 
have been so seldom planted in our Northern States for 
any purpose, that anything like a systematic cultivation 
of these trees is a thing almost unknown. Of course 
there is no good reason why the hickories should not be 
multiplied and cultivated as well as other kinds of trees, 
12 



178 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

but in some unknown way the idea became prevalent 
that these trees could not be transplanted with any as- 
surance of success, and this has been kept alive, either 
through ignorance or by those whose interest led them 
to encourage the planting of the rapid-growing and 
easily propagated kinds, instead of those which, though 
less profitable to the producer, would be of far greater 
value to the purchaser. It must be admitted, however, 
that the hickories are not so tenacious of life as the 
willows, poplars, elms and similar kinds of trees, requir- 
ing more care in their cultivation if they are to be trans- 
planted when of a proper size for setting along roadsides 
or elsewhere, for shade and ornament, but they are cer- 
tainly no more difficult to make live than the beech, oak, 
tulip and various species of the magnolia. 

The slow growth of the hickories while young is 
another objection often urged as a fault of these trees, 
but there is nothing lost but time in waiting, and this 
passes just as swiftly whether we plant trees that may in 
ten years yield a golden harvest, or nothing but leaves ; 
besides, the hickories respond as readily to stimulants 
and good care generally as the common fruit trees of our 
orchards. While the farmers of our Northern States 
are generally quite indifferent as to what becomes of 
their old hickory trees, and seldom attempt to preserve 
the wild seedlings that spring up in the fields and on 
the borders of forests, their fellow countrymen of the 
Southern States have, within the past two or three 
decades, discovered that they possess an inexhaustible 
source of wealth in their common pecan nut. Formerly 
these trees were sacrificed whenever a choice piece of 
tough timber was wanted, and often merely to secure 
the entire crop of nuts without waiting for nature to 
drop them within reach ; but the advent of many lines 
of railroads, steamboats, and other means of communi- 
cation with the great cities and their markets, has 



HICKORY NUTS. 179 

changed this inclination to destroy into one of preserva- 
tion. The old pecan trees are not only appreciated as a 
source of income, but thousands and tens of thousands 
of seedlings are now annually raised and planted, to 
insure larger returns in the near or distant future. In 
fact, pecan culture has already become an important 
industry in several of the Southern States, although in 
point of age it is little more than a fledgling. We have 
no statistics to show what the annual crop averages in 
pounds or bushels, but it must be something enormous 
if we make our estimate from the quantities received 
and distributed in the Northern States. But with all 
the efforts put forth to secure a supply of these nuts, 
and the high prices they command at both wholesale 
and retail, the demand seems to keep well in advance of 
the supply, and this will, in all probability, continue as 
our population increases. In the way of demand, the 
same is true with our northern species of the shellbark 
hickories, which were formerly very abundant, but of 
late years have become rather scarce, for reasons too 
obvious to call for any explanation at this time. 

In selecting a location for planting and cultivating 
the hickories, including the pecan, a moist, deep soil is 
certainly preferable to any other, especially for the three 
species and their varieties most promising for this pur- 
pose, because we find them grov/ing wild in such situa- 
tions and soils. But while these naturally deep, rich 
and moist soils are to be joreferred, no one need hesitate 
to plant hickories on light, dry, and even poor soils, if 
they are properly enriched, or a few shovelfuls of fine 
old stable manure is thoroughly mixed with the earth in 
which the roots are set, and then a mulch applied to 
tlie surface to keep the soil moist. Almost any old 
waste fibrous material, such as leaves, straw, hay, weeds 
or coarse manure, will answer for mulching newly planted 
trees, and it should be applied to a dejith of three or 



180 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

four inches, and renewed annually, or as often as neces- 
sary to prevent the growth of grass or weeds growing 
within three or four feet of the stem of the tree. In all 
dry climates and soils mulching should be considered an 
important operation, not to be omitted "until the trees 
are from six to ten years old, and it may usually be con- 
tinued a longer time with benefit. 

Propagation. — All the species of the hickory are 
very readily grown from nuts gathered when ripe and 
planted wdthin a few weeks ; or they may be mixed with 
or stratified between layers of sand and light soil and 
buried in the open ground for the winter, and the plant- 
ing deferred until the following spring. They are not 
at all delicate and will withstand considerable drying 
and neglect, and will grow, if stored in a cool cellar, 
without being packed in either soil, sand or other mate- 
rial. But as I haye had no occasion to determine how 
much neglect these nuts will withstand, nor to what 
extremes of adverse conditions it is safe to subject them, 
I shall leave investigation in this direction to others, 
because in general practice no valuable seed or plant 
grows any too readily and freely to satisfy the cultivator, 
and for this reason I recommend either j^lanting hickory 
nuts in the fall, or burying them between layers of light 
soil or sand, sifting out and planting early the fol- 
lowing spring. If any considerable quantity is to be 
planted they should be dropped three or four inches 
apart in shallow trendies and covered about two inches 
deep. The distance between the rows may be from two 
to three feet, depending u]3on the implements to be used 
in their cultivation. 

The soil for a seedbed should, of course, be made 
rich and deej), or the same as recommended for chest- 
nuts, and all the means usually employed to assist the 
growth of cultivated plants are applicable to nut trees. 
I may also add that cutworms, white grubs and other 



HICKORY NUTS. 181 

noxious insects are enemies of nut-tree seedlings as well 
tis garden vegetables. The seedling hickories should 
be treated as advised for cliestnuts ; that is, dug up 
when one or, at the latest, two years old, and their 
central or taproot shortened to at least one-half their 
original length, and then reset in nursery rows, and at 
a distance of twelve to fifteen inches apart in the row. 
If grown in ordinary upland, the transplanted seedlings 
will make a better growth if heavily mulched than un- 
der the usual system of clean cultivation, and it is usu- 
ally less expensive ; besides, by keeping the surface of 
the soil cool and moist, we encourage and assist the pro- 
duction of fibrous lateral roots, which, as a rule, are 
none too abundant on seedling hickories, no matter 
under what conditions or system of cultivation they 
are raised. 

When the seedlings have grown in the nursery rows 
two or three years, they will probably be large enough 
for planting where they are to remain permanently ; but 
if, for any reason, they are not disposed of, then they 
should be again transplanted, — the larger roots short- 
ened,-^and re-set in good rich soil. The object of trans- 
planting is to insure the production of small fibrous 
roots, and a frequent renewal of the same, close to the 
main stem or stock, as long as the trees remain in the 
nursery, whether this be two or twenty years. This 
is somewhat of an expensive operation, but the value of 
stock thus handled is enhanced far more than the cost 
of such transplanting, and purchasers are, or at least 
should be, willing to pay a fair price for such trees. 

It is the natural habit of the hickories, as well as 
many other kinds of deciduous trees, to produce in their 
earlier stages of growth rather large, deeply penetrating, 
naked roots, with few small fibers, and in this condition 
they are not so readily and successfully transplanted as 
the kinds possessing a more ramified root system. This, 



183 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

perhaps, has misled many persons to believe that certain 
kinds of trees, like the hickories, could not be moyed at 
all, or at least not with any assurance of being made to 
live. This idea has become so prevalent among inex- 
perienced cultivators, and, I regret to add, often reiter- 
ated by theorists, that it has discouraged many who 
otherwise would have raised and planted nut trees in 
preference to other kinds. 

Admitting that it is the general habit of most kinds 
of forest trees to produce deeply penetrating ta23roots, 
when grown from seed, it proves nothing more than 
that these parts may be of some importance to the plants 
while they are young, and under natural conditions, yet 
they are not absolutely necessary, and, at most, are only 
temporary organs, like the tails of tadpoles, always dis- 
appearing wdth maturity. 

Any one at all observing, and having had an oppor- 
tunity of examining limited or extended areas of forest 
trees thrown over by hurricanes, must have noticed that 
no tree of any considerable size and age possessed a tap- 
root, but had been for years kept in its upright position 
by lateral brace-roots, and through these it had also 
obtained nutriment from the surface soil. Some of my 
corresj^ondents in the South have ex^Dressed their sur- 
prise at not finding any trace of the original central 
roots on old pecan trees, when blown over by severe 
wind storms. But it is the same everywhere with forest 
trees and where the soil is naturally loose and moist : 
the principal or supporting roots si^read out widely and 
remain near the surface, and the central roots or taproots 
disappear much earlier than in dry soils. 

In multiplying trees under artificial conditions, we 
remove the taproots, not only for convenience in trans- 
planting, but also to hasten and increase the production 
of surface lateral roots, and more than this, we lessen 
the years of luxuriant sterility, securing earlier fruit- 



HICKORY NUTS. 183 

ing by such operations as root pruning and frequent 
transplanting. 

Budding and Grafting. — I have never known of 
an instance of successful budding of the hickory, at least 
in the ordinary way during the summer months. What 
is called '^annular budding" in early spring with buds 
of the previous season, is said to have been successfully 
practiced with the pecan at the South, but this mode of 
propagation is more of the nature of grafting than of 
what is usually understood as budding. But I liave 
been unable to obtain any statistics in regard to the pro- 
portion of buds that any propagator or experimenter has 
made live by this or other modes of propagation. Col. 
Stuart says, in ''The Pecan," p. 45, ''There is a method 
known as 'annular budding,' which proves quite suc- 
cessful." He then proceeds to describe the operation, 
as given in all works on the propagation of trees and 
plants during the past hundred years or more, but not a 
word to indicate what he considers a "success," — 
wliether it be once or fifty times in a hundred, or if he 
ever succeeded in making an annular bud unite to the 
stock ; I am more inclined to think that he never did, 
than otherwise. 

In Bulletin No. 105, "Nut Culture for North Car- 
olina," issued from the N. C. State Experiment Station, 
1894, Mr. W. A. Taylor, Assistant Pomologist U. S. 
DejDartment of Agriculture, in referring to budding and 
grafting of these trees, says: "These latter operations 
iire less successful with the pecan than most fruit trees, 
though they are by no means impossible to accomplish. 
On seedlings one or two years old annular budding in 
early summer succeeds best." But here again we are 
left in doubt in regard to wdiat the writer considers "a 
success." Then, again, the line between the "possible" 
and "impossible," in horticultural matters, is a rather 
ditiicult one to determine, and Mr. Tavlor fails to cite a 



184 THE NUT CULTUEIST. 

single instance in which either annular or any other 
form of either budding or grafting had been successfully 
practiced. The Bulletins issued from the Division of 
Pomology of the Department of Agriculture, give us no 
information whatever on this subject of propagation of 
the hickories, further than to repeat the old formulas of 
annular, splice and cleft grafting ; but as to results they 
have always been provokingly silent. 

Having been repeatedly assured, by men who pre- 
sumed to know, that the pecan tree was successfully 
propagated in the South by grafting, and many thou- 
sands annually raised in this way, it seems strange that 
such plants are so rarely offered by nurserymen. Seed- 
lings of choice varieties are, of course, abundant enough, 
but a man might, with as much propriety, offer seedling 
Bartlett pears or Baldwin apples, as pecan trees, expect- 
ing to perpetuate varieties. In corresponding with Mr. 
P. J. Berckmans, of the Fruitland Nurseries of Augusta, 
Ga., whose experience and acquaintanoe with the fruits 
of the South are, without doubt, in advance of any other 
horticulturist of the past or even the present generation, 
in reply to my request for information on grafting 
pecans, he writes: ''For the past five or six years we 
have grafted various varieties of the pecan nuts. I do 
not know of any other nurseryman South who offers 
grafted trees. I presume the reason of this is, the 
great difficulty in having the grafts take, as we seldom 
have more than fifteen to twenty-five per cent grow. 
We usually crown graft in February, using one-year-old 
seedlings grown in nursery rows. Owing to the small 
percentage of grafts which grow, grafted trees must, 
necessarily, be quite expensive, and for this reason there 
are so few attempts made in this method of propagation." 
Mr. Berckmans makes no reference to annular bud- 
ding of the pecan, so strongly and frequently recom- 
mended by the several writers already quoted, although 



HICKORY NUTS. 185 

I am certain that he is as familiar with this mode of 
})ropagatioii as any one else, and would have practiced 
it had he found it in any way superior to crown graft- 
ing-. From all that I have been able to learn through a 
rather extended correspondence, in regard to the propa- 
gation of the pecan nut tree in the South, I conclude 
that they are occasionally and sparingly grafted, but 
with such indifferent results that they are not at all 
numerous in either orchards or nurseries. 

From certain remarks of Col. Stuart, in his essay 
on ^' Pecan Culture," I infer that he has sold grafted 
trees, for he says: ^^ It costs no more to care for the 
grove of choice trees than of poor ones ; then, again, the 
grafted or budded ones come into profitable bearing 
three years earlier than seedlings. Here is a case in 
point : Last Noyember (1892) we paid, in cash, two 
hundred and forty-eight dollars for the nuts which grew 
upon one tree, the crop of one year. The tree is twenty 
inches through at its base, and forty-fiye feet high; such 
a size tree would grow in twenty or twenty-five years. 
Now small nuts from the same size tree will sell for not 
more than fifteen to twenty dollars. Another tree only 
ten years old bore thirteen and a half dollars worth. 
These choice nuts are such as we grow seedlings from ; 
we sell a great many more seedlings than we do grafted 
or budded trees, simply because they are so much 
cheaper, and people in general do not realize that such a 
vast difference exists between the profits of seedling and 
grafted or budded trees ; but such is the case, and such it 
w^ill always remain for aught we can see." Soon after I 
published the description of the Hales' Paper-shell hick- 
ory in 18*10, requests for cions were received from nur- 
serymen and many amateur horticulturists, who w^ere 
anxious to try their skill in grafting this excellent vari- 
ety. Mr. Hales generously responded, and sent cions to 
a large number of correspondents in variaus parts of the 



186 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

country, because he was desirous of having the variety 
preserved and propagated. During the following ten 
years the old original tree w^as kept pretty well pruned, 
in filling orders for cions ; those sent to nurserymen 
were to be raised on shares, one-half of all the success- 
fully grafted trees to be returned to Mr. Hales. Being 
a near neighbor, my opportunities for keei^ing informed 
as to the result of this arrangement was all that I could 
desire. To one nursery firm in central New York Mr. 
Hales sent about one thousand cions per annum for four 
successive years, and in return received just four feeble 
grafted plants as his share of the total product of the 
four thousand cions. But as the four plants received 
soon died, he closed that account as one of total loss. 
Previously, however, he had sent a quantity of cions to 
Mr. J. R. Trumpy, of the Kissena Nurseries, Flushing, 
N. Y., whose skill as a propagator of ligneous j)lants is 
probably second to that of no man in this country ; the 
result proved that our faith in the man was not mis- 
placed, for Mr. Hales received for his share of the ex- 
periment something over tAvo dozen grafted trees, and 
most of these are now handsome specimens ten to twenty 
feet high. Just what percentage of the cions set were 
made to unite and grow I have not been informed, but 
the experiment was, doubtless, rather unsatisfactory as a 
commercial transaction. 

In addition to the plants sent to Mr. Hales, there 
have been quite a number distributed among the cus- 
tomers of the nurseries named ; consequently, we are 
pretty well assured of the perpetuation of this remark- 
ably fine variety, even when the original tree succumbs 
to old age, or should it be accidentally destroyed. I am 
inclined to give Mr. Trumpy credit for being the first 
man to graft the shell bark hickory in this or any other 
country, and make the cions unite and grow, for I 
have failed to find any instance of success in this mode 



HICKORY NUTS. 187 

of propagating these trees, i)rior to his witli the Hales' 
Paper-shell. 

In reply to a note sent him a few months since, ask- 
ing : "How did or do you graft the hickories?" he 
replied as follows : "I put the hickory stocks in pots in 
the si)ring, and graft them the following S})ring, say in 
April, and in the house. The cions are cut during the 
winter, so as to keep them in good order until wanted 
for use. I find it is better to operate in April than 
earlier in the winter. I also graft them out of doors 
about the beginning of May, when the stocks are grow- 
ing. They will succeed very well out of doors, provided 
the stocks are large enough for the cions. Any kind of 
grafting will do, but crown grafting is the best. I have 
not done much of late in the way of grafting hickories 
in the nursery, not having suitable stocks ; besides, when 
the weather l).ecomes warm enough for outside work, veg- 
etation pushes far too rapidly to give a man a chance to 
do much of this kind of grafting." 

Since the above was Avi-itten and while these pages 
were being put in type, Mr. Jackson Dawson, of the 
Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Mass., has given his 
method of grafting the hickories, in Garden and Forest, 
Feb. 19, 189G, as follows : 

*^My method," writes Mr. Dawson, ^Mias been to 
side-graft, using a cion with part of the second year's 
wood attached, binding it firmly and covering it with 
damp sphagnum until the union has been made. The 
best time I have found for the operation under glass has 
been during February, and the })lants have been kept 
under glass until midsummer, and wintered the first 
year in a cold frame. In all the genera I find certain 
species which may be called free stocks, — that is, stocks 
which take grafts more readily than others. Thus, 
nearly all the oaks will graft readily on Qnercus Robur ; 
the birches will graft more easily on Betula alba than 



188 THE XUT CULTUKIST. 

on others ; so of the hickories, observation has led me 
to believe that the best stock is the bitternut, Hicoria 
minima. This species grows almost twice as rapidly as 
the common shagbark hickory, and while yonng the 
cambium is quite soft. I should advise anyone who 
v^-ishes to propagate hickories on a large scale to grow 
stocks of this species in boxes not more than four inches 
deep. In this w^ay all the roots can be saved and there 
will be no extreme taproot, and when shaken out of the 
boxes the plants are easily established in pots and ready 
for grafting. If taken up in the ordinary way from the 
woods, it requires almost two years to get them well 
rooted, and often the stocks die for want of roots after 
the grafts have really taken. If grown in rich soil, the 
stocks will be large enough to use in one or tw^o years. 
I should then pot them early in the fall, keeping them 
from heayy frosts, and bringing them* into the house 
about the first of January, and as soon as they begin to 
make roots. I should side-graft tliem close to the collar 
and plunge them in sphagnum moss, leaving the top 
bud of the graft out to the air. The graft ought to be 
well united about the last of March, when the plants 
should be taken from the sphagnum and set in the body 
of the house to finish their growth." 

All who have had any experience in the propagation 
of trees by grafting in spring, are well aware of the flight 
of time, in the hurry of work that must be done in a 
few days or not at all. It is true that the season for 
grafting may be ju'olonged or extended a little by cut- 
ting the cions in winter and storing them in a cool, 
moist place, where they remain dormant after vegetation 
has started in the open air ; but this does not affect the 
stocks, and these may come on slowly or rapidly, varying 
with the seasons, and the grafter must not only watch 
for opportune moments, but take his chances of striking 
the rio'ht time and conditions^ in order to be successful. 



UICKOKY NUTS. 



189 



With such hard wood trees as the hickories it is better 
to be a little ahead of time than a few days too late, for 
frosts, and even quite a severe freeze, will not injure a 
dormant cion, and under the most favorable conditions 
the union between stock and cion is a rather slow pro- 
cess. For this reason I advise giving as much time as 
possible, and Avhile I do not claim to having had any 
personal experience as a grafter, in the South, still I am 
inclined to think that grafting in the fall, and not later 
than December, would be preferable to later in winter 
or spring. By giving the cion and stock two or three 




FIG. 68. CKOWN GRAFTING ON ROOTS OF THE HICKCiRY. 

months in which to form granulations and cohesion, 
there would be more certainty of success. Of course, I 
now refer to what is called crown grafting on the root 
below the surface of the ground, and when the cion is 
fixed in place with the usual ligatures of waxed paper or 
cloth, the soil is drawn back into i3lace and the cion 
entirely covered with it, but very lightly over the ter- 
minal bud. 

Where small stocks are not at hand, the roots of 
large trees may be severed and the end partly lifted 
towards the surface, as shown in Fig. 68, and when 



190 



THE NUT CULTUEIST. 



grafted, allowed to remain in position until the follow- 
ing season, and then taken up entire or with roots 
enough to insure future growth. The same or a simi- 
lar process may be practiced to propagate a choice vari- 
ety of the hickory, and a mere severing of the roots will 
insure the production of suckers from near the severed 
end, as shown in Fig. 69. 

In grafting isolated stocks in this way, a small or 
large stake should be placed by the side of each^ to indi- 




FIG. 69. SPROUTS FROM SEVERED HICKORY ROOTS. 

cate their position, and also protect them from being 
trampled upon. I make this suggestion because, in my 
own experience, it has often proved successful with va- 
rious kinds of hard-wooded trees and shrubs that failed 
when grafted in the spring. Here in the North it is 
rather difficult, as well as expensive, to protect cions set 
in the open ground in the fall ; but in the South it is 



HICKORY XUTS. 191 

different, and a handful of almost any coarse litter would 
be sufficient to prevent severe freezing. 

But grafting in the fall in the open ground is un- 
necessary, where small seedling stocks are used in the 
propagation of any kind of tree ; in fact, nurserymen do 
very little grafting of this kind in spring, for they 
learned, by long experience, that the most economical 
and certain method of multiplying such trees is to take 
up the stocks in the fall, and then graft them indoors 
during the winter, having stocks and cions stored in 
cool cellars or pits, where they will be readily accessible 
when wanted. Apples, pears, quinces, grapes, and 
many other kinds of hardy trees, shrubs and vines are 
now extensively propagated by grafting during the win- 
ter months, and I do not know of any good reason why 
the hickories and other closely allied nut trees should 
not be multiplied in this way. I have tried it, on a lim- 
ited scale, with the shellbark hickories, and with fair 
success, and in my opinion it is the only way by which 
the hickories, including the pecan, can be multiplied 
cheai)ly enough to become of commercial importance. 

The small stocks of one or two years old should be 
taken up in the fall, and then crown grafted any time 
from December to March in the Northern States, but 
the earlier the better ; then pack aw^ay the grafted stocks 
in moGS or soil, in a cool cellar, or heel-in elsewhere, as, 
for instance, in pits or frames, where they will not be 
frozen, and yet cool enough to prevent active growth. 

In the spring the grafted stocks should be planted 
out in nursery rows, and deep enough to have the top of 
the cion just level with the surface after the soil has 
been settled about it by a shower or heavy rains. The 
plants must be handled wdth care, so as not to disturb 
the cions. Mulching will, of course, be beneficial in 
dry seasons, and especially if the stocks are set in ordi- 
nary well-drained soils. In selecting wood for cions. 



192 THE :n^ut culturist. 

twigs of the previous season's growth are usually pre- 
ferred, but it is uot necessary, nor is it advisable to dis- 
card all except the extreme end of the shoot or that 
containing a terminal bud, as some writers have advised, 
to prevent rapid loss of moisture by evaporation, for a 
drop of wax will seal the end of a cion as thoroughly 
and effectually as a natural bud ; besides, the lower part 
of the annual twigs is often more tirm and really better 
for grafting than the upper ^nd less sturdy wood, and 
the lateral buds on it will push just as readily as the 
terminal one. The cion maybe three or four inches 
long, and contain two or more buds. The sealing of 
the upper end of a cion that is not protected by a ter- 
minal bud is certainly important with all of the hick- 
ories, for in this genus of trees the pith is large and 
continuous, not intersected or out off by a thin partition 
of wood at the joints, as seen in many trees, shrubs and 
vines. This large and continuous pith in the hickories 
is another reason why the cions succeed best if set below 
the crown and in or on the fleshy roots having no j)ith. 
They may be set on one side, as in splice grafting, or in 
the center, or in a cleft made for tlieir reception with a 
sharp knife, then bound with waxed paper, or wrapped 
with bass, raffia, or other similar material, and after- 
wards covered with melted wax to exclude air and water 
from the joints and wounds. 

In this mode of grafting hickories it is not neces- 
sary to employ the entire root or stock, if it is of large 
size, for a single cion ; for pieces of from six to twelve 
inches long, containing a few lateral fibers, will answer 
the purpose, and it will be found, in practice, that these 
sections of the large fleshy roots contain so much vital- 
ity that, if the cions set in them fail to grow, they will 
throw up sprouts from adventitious buds during the 
ensuing summer. Almost any fair-sized piece of root 
left in the ground, when digging up hickory trees large 



HICKORY NUTS. 193 

or small, is pretty certain to throw up sprouts, this not 
only showing their great vitality, but that propagation 
by root cuttings is perfectly practicable and may be util- 
ized whenever and wherever it may be desirable. The 
man who attempts to raise hickories from root cuttings 
must have patience, for very frequently the cuttings 
will remain apparently dormant in the ground one entire 
season before the sprouts appear above the surface. I 
will also add that this slow or retarded germination fre- 
quently occurs with the nats, esjoecially if they have 
become somewhat dry before planting. 

For commercial purposes root-grafting small stock, 
as described, during the fall and winter, gives promise 
of being the best and most practicable system of multi- 
plying Yarieties ; but there is much yet to be learned in 
regard to details, and hundreds of carefully conducted 
experiments may be necessary to determine the exact 
time, condition and mode of operation. It may be that 
yery early grafting is better than late, or that we haye 
not, as yet, found the best species for stocks, and that a 
half-iipened one will be preferable to one fully matured. 
Neither has it, as yet, been determined what kind of 
material is best in which to store the grafted roots : sand, 
soil or sphagnum (moss) from the swamps ; or whether 
they should be kept very moist, or comparatively dry ; 
very cold, or moderately warm. Here is a wide field for 
experiments, and a most interesting one ; for the suc- 
cessful propagation of the hickories by any mode that 
will insure the perpetuation and rapid multiplication of 
varieties, means millions of dollars added to the wealth 
of the country. 

Age of Fruiting. — We hear much of the preco- 
ciousness of pecan trees in the South, and many are 
reported as coming into bearing at the age of six to ten 
years from the time of planting the nut : but these are 
probably exceptional instances of early fruiting and not 
13 



194 THE NUT CULTURIST 

the rule, although in a favorable soil and climate it is to 
be expected that such trees will push forward more rap- 
idly than under less favorable conditions. Grafted trees 
will, of course, produce fruit in less time than seedlings, 
and as this mode of propagation becomes more general, 
and repeated in a direct ancestral line, the cions for each 
successive generation of trees being taken from mature 
or bearing specimens, the precocious and productive 
habit will eventually become intensified, as it has been 
in all of our long-cultivated fruit trees propagated by 
artificial methods. We have so intensified the produc- 
tiveness of many kinds of cultivated fruits by selection, 
that it has become more of a fault, than a merit to be 
encouraged. 

The nut trees are amenable to the same physiolog- 
ical laws as other kinds, and in their propagation by 
grafting with cions from bearing specimens we hasten 
maturity in the offspring. This has been fully demon- 
strated in many varieties of the Persian walnuts and 
European chestnuts. Here in the Northern States we 
have had so little experience with grafted hickories of 
any species, that really nothing is yet known as to how 
they will respond to this mode of propagation, further 
than that they grow raj^idly and give promise of being 
fruitful. Seedling trees are, as a rule, of slow growth, 
rarely attaining a bearing age and size under twenty 
years, and with the shellbarks thirty or forty years usu- 
ally pass before anything like a crop of nuts is gathered. 
Something may be gained, in the way of time, by fre- 
quent transplan tings and pruning, but more by grafting 
seedlings from old and mature trees. Two grafts of the 
Hales' hickory commenced bearing at the age of sixteen 
years. 

Planting for Profit. — There are, doubtless, many 
thousands of acres of half-denuded woodlands in almost 
every State in the Union, both North and South, that 



HICKORY NUTS. 195 

could be readily utilized for growing hickory timber, 
and much of such lands is almost useless for other pur- 
poses; but timber culture and forestry is a subject 
which I have discussed elsewhere,* while the object of 
* this work is to aid my readers in j^roducing something that 
may be utilized as food. When the hundreds and thou- 
sands of miles of our public highways are shaded with 
hickory and other nut-bearing trees of the best species 
and varieties, it will be time enough to begin planting 
such kinds elsewhere. As roadside trees they cannot 
fail to be profitable, largely enhancing the value of ad- 
joining land ; for in addition to being equally as orna- 
mental as other kinds, they yield fruit always in demand 
at remunerative prices. The three species of the hick- 
ory and their varieties recommended for cultivation all 
thrive best in moist soils, but by occasional watering or 
thorough mulching they will succeed almost anywhere, 
especially in naturally dry locations. 

Insect Enemies. — The hickories, as with all other 
nut-bearing trees, have numerous insect enemies, but 
these are neither so numerous nor destructive as to seri- 
ously interfere with their growth in general, or with 
their productiveness. Insects may occasionally become 
exceedingly numerous in certain localities for a few 
years, then suddenly or slowly disappear; but this we 
must expect, as one of the coexisting phases of all agri- 
cultural pursuits. 

Collectively the hickories have no considerable num- 
ber of destructive insect enemies, but if we count all the 
species of the various orders that have been found occa- 
sionally, or otherwise, feeding on the leaves, buds, fruit, 
twigs, bark, or boring in the solid wood, they make a 
very formidable list of names, or about one hundred and 
seventy-five in all ; but fully ninety per cent of these 

♦Practical Forestry. 



196 



THE is'UT CULTURIST. 



depredators are scarcely knoAvn, except to a few profes- 
sional entomologists, and unless they become more de- 
structive in the future than they are at present, or have 
been in years i^ast, nut culturists have little to fear from 
their depredations. Among the most common species 
of insects injurious to the hickory, the following may 
prove most annoying to the cultivator. 

The hickokt-twig girdleu {Oncideres cingida- 
tus. Say). — A small yellowish-gray beetle, a little less 
than an inch long, usually appearing in this latitude 
during August, the females depositing their eggs in the 
twigs of from a quarter to a half -inch in diameter. 
On old large trees the loss of a few or 
many of these is scarcely noticed ; but on 
young seedlings or grafted stock it is quite 
a different affair, for on such plants the 
females usually select the leader in prefer- 
ence to the lateral twigs in which to de- 
posit their eggs. The female girdles the 
twigs for the purpose of providing proper 
and acceptable food for her progeny ; that 
is, first the green, then the slowly drying, 
then the perfectly hard, seasoned hickory 
or Avhatever kind she may have attacked. 
Selecting a suitable twig, she rests upon 
it, usually with head downward (Fig. 70), and with her 
mandibles cuts out a ring of bark about one-twelfth of 
an inch wide, and deep enough to reach the firm wood 
~""nderneath. The place selected for this annular inci- 
V oil may be only a few inches from the terminal bud, or 
:> foot below it, and in some instances she will cut two 
incisions on the same twig some distance apart, but 
usually there is only one on a twig. While cutting this 
incision she will sometimes rest long enough from her 
labors to deposit an Qgg in the bark above. The num- 
ber of eo:gs she deioo-sits in the twig is i^robably variable, 




FIG. 70. 



HICKORY HUTS. 197 

but three full-grown grubs is the most I have ever found, 
and the larger proportion examined had only one. This 
girdling of the twig prevents the flow of sa^^*, and the 
leaves soon wither and drop off, and the bark and wood 
shrivel and become hard and dry; but in the mean- 
time the eggs liave hatched and the minute grubs have 
bored their way through the soft bark and reached the 
pith, feeding in this while acquiring size and strength 
of jaws that will enable them to consume more solid 
food later and during the succeeding winter, spring and 
summer. Some do not reach maturity until the second 
summer ; at least, in this latitude, as I have found after 
very careful observation and while collecting many hun- 
dreds of specimens. I will say, however, that this in- 
sect is usually referred to by entomologists as rather 
rare, and in general it is, but some years ago, in an old 
clearing near by where there was a great number of 
young hickory seedlings and sprouts, it was for a season 
or two very abundant ; then it suddenly disappeared, 
and I have not taken a half-dozen specimens since. The 
grubs bore out the wood in the infested twig, and in 
most instances so completely as to leave only a thin shell 
of the wood or bark, by the time they have reached ma- 
turity and are ready to pass into their imago or perfect- 
winged stage. 

This species of twig girdler also attacks the apple, 
pear, persimmon, elm, and other kinds of trees, and 
with those like the apple, with a soft and brittle wood, 
the girdled twigs are frequently broken off by the winds ; 
but this rarely occurs with the hickories, and we can 
usually find the stumps remaining on the ti-ees years 
after the beetles have emerged. The only way to keep 
this pest in check is to cut off and burn the girdled 
twigs any time before the larvae have reached maturity, 
and as the girdled dead twigs are readily seen, the gath- 
ering is not difficult, from medium-sized trees. 



198 THE I^UT CULTURIST. 

The paikted hickory borer [Cyllene inctus. 
Drury). — This is, perhaps, one of the most common and 
widely distributed of all the hickory borers, but, so far 
as my observations have extended, it rarely attacks 
young or healthy trees of any age ; in fact, I have never 
found it in or about growing trees, but I have seen it, 
by the thousands, breeding in decaying specimens and 
in hickory cord wood cut during tlie winter months and 
ranked np in shady places. A hickory tree cut down in 
fall or winter, and left on the ground or cut up into 
cordwood, is pretty sure to attract this borer early in 
spring, the females swarming over the bark, depositing 
their eggs upon it, and by the ensuing autumn the wood 
will be fairly honeycombed if this insect is at all abun- 
dant. The general color of the beetle is 
black, and the size as shown in Fig. 71. 
There are three narrow, whitish bands 
across the top of the thorax, and one 
slightly broader band at the extreme point 
of the wing-covers ; but the next band is 
FIG. 71. in the form of an inverted V ; the point 
HICKORY BOREK. of the A tlocs not quite touch the broad 
lateral band, as in the closely allied species known as 
the locust borer {^0. roMnim), with which it is often 
confounded ; besides, in the latter the markings are of a 
deep yellow, and not white or of a faint yellowish tinge. 
The hickory borer always appears in spring, and the 
locust borer in the fall, not later than September in this 
part of the country. Below or behind the V-shaped 
band there are three others, but all broken up into mere 
dots, and not continuous. 

In the South, and especially in Texas, there is a 
somewhat smaller but closely allied species {Cylle7ie 
cri)iicornis) that attacks the pecan tree and its wood in 
the same way as our common hickory borer, but in the 
Southern or Southwestern species the bands on the 




HICKORY KUTS. LJU 

wing-coYers are all interrupted or broken up into small 
white spots or dots. I have no remedy to suggest, fur- 
ther than to cut down old, infested trees, and to haul 
the wood out into the sun and spread it out where it 
will quickly dry and become seasoned. If the felled 
tree and wood is stripped of its bark as soon as cut, the 
female beetles will not deposit their eggs uj)on it. 

There are other long-horned beetles {Ceraiyihycidce) 
that are occasionally found breeding in the hickories, 
and among these may be named the Belted Ohion {OJn'on 
ci7ictus), Tiger Goes (Goes tigrimts), Beautiful Goes 
{Goes pulclira), and the Orange Sawyer [Elapliidioii 
inerme), but they are usually qnite too rare to be con- 
sidered as very destructiye insects. 

Hickory-bark borer {Scolytus 4z-spi?iosus. Say). 
— Only once within my memory has this minute but 
destructive beetle appeared in any considerable num- 
bers in my neighborhood, although I have occasionally 
received a few specimens from correspondents in various 
parts of the country, even as far west as the Pacific coast 
in Washington. This borer is a very small, cylindrical, 
dark brown beetle, about one-fifth of an inch or less in 
length, and one-sixteenth in diameter. The hind part 
of the body is quite blunt (truncate), the males having 
four short but distinct blunt spines, two on each side, 
projecting from the hind part of the abdomen, hence 
the name "4-spinosus." In the females these s^unes 
are absent, otherwise they closely resemble the males. 
These bark borers usually appear here in the Northern 
States the last of June or early in July, and both sexes 
attack hickory trees of all species, but appear to prefer 
the old and nearly mature trees to the young and small 
with thinner bark. After boring through the bark and 
reaching the soft cambium layer underneath, upon 
which these insects feed, the female cuts a vertical chan- 
nel in this substance, of little over an inch in length. 



200 



THE is^UT CULTURIST. 



This burrow is a little larger than the diameter of her 
body, and along on both sides she deposits her eggs, to 
the number of ten to thirty, j^lacing about an equal 
number on each side. When these eggs hatch, the young 
larv^ begin to feed on the soft material by which they 
are surrounded, making minute burrows at first, and at 
nearly right angles with the parent one ; but as they 
increase in size they are forced to diverge, those above 
the center working upward, and those below downvvard, 
as shown in Fig. 72. These burrows enlarge as the 

grubs increase in size, as 
shown, most of them 
reaching their full devel- 
opment by the time cold 
weather sets in, but 
some do not cease feed- 
ing until spring, then 
pass to the pupal stage, 
and later to the perfect 
or beetle form, and from 
the extreme end of these 
burrows they bore a hole 
straight out to the sur- 
face, and are then ready 
to begin the cycle of life 
again, either on the tree 
from which they have 
emerged, or others near by. Some fifteen years ago I 
noticed that the leaves of some of the old hickory trees 
on my place were turning yellow prematurely, and upon 
examination I found the bark perforated with minute 
holes not larger than small bird shot, indicating the 
23resence of the bark borer under consideration. Seven 
of the very largest and, presumably, the oldest, appeared 
to be alfected, and these were immediately cut down and 
stripped of their bark, exposing the little grubs to the 




FIG. 72. BURROWS OF HICKORY 
SCOLYTUS. 



HICKORY NUTS. 201 

air and attacks of insect-eating birds. These trees ap- 
peared to have been infested for several years, as there 
was scarcely a spot on the surface of the wood that had 
not been scarified with this pest. Since the destruction 
of these trees I have not been troubled with bark borers, 
although there are still a number of very old and larae 
hickories thriving in the same grove. The only remedy 
I can suggest is to cut down infested trees as soon as 
they are discovered, and also encourage the insect-eating 
birds to remain in and near the nut groves. 

There are several other species of bark borers that 
occasionally attack hickories, one of these, the Chrame- 
sus icoricB, Leconte, infests the small twigs, while 
anotlier, the Sinoxylon basilar e, Say, after boring 
through the bark, continues its course far into the heart- 
w^ood, showing a preference for this kind of food instead 
of the living tissues. These pests, however, are rarely 
constant, but very erratic, in their attacks, and while 
they may be rather abundant on a few or many trees a 
season or two, they then disappear, and not one may be 
seen for several decades. 

The hickory-shuck worm ( Grajjholitlia caryana. 
Fitch). — The parent of this pest is a minute moth of 
the family Tortricidm, the small caterpillars mining and 
boring the green husks, and sometimes into the imma- 
ture shell, causing the nuts to wither and drop off pre- 
maturely, although an occasional one may reach matu- 
rity, even in its scarified condition. This insect appears 
to be somewhat rare in the East, but very abundant 
some years in the West, where it is frequently destruc- 
tive to the thick shellbark hickory and pecan. The first 
fresh specimens of the Nussbaumer Hybrid pecan nut 
(referred to on a preceding page) were so badly bored 
and scarified by this worm when received, that tliey 
would have been nearly or quite Avorthless for either 
planting or other purposes. As this insect attacks the 



202 THE NUT CULTUEIST. 

nuts on the very largest trees in the forest and elsewhere, 
I cannot suggest any other remedy than to gather the 
immature and infested nuts as they fall, and burn them, 
with their contents. 

Among the larger Lepidoptera (butterflies and 
moths) there are many species, the caterpillars of which 
occasionally feed on the leaves of the hickories, but not 
exclusively ; consequently, they cannot be considered as 
the special enemies of this genus of trees. When they 
do attack them, it is as much due to accident as design. 
This is certainly true with the great Luna moth {Attacus 
luna) and the American silk worm {Telea idolyijliemus), 
and various species of the Catocala, as well as the Tent 
caterpillar {Clisiocampa sylvatica). 

There is also a hickory-nut weevil, closely allied to 
the species infesting the chestnut ; and while not quite 
as large, its habits are similar, and its ravages may be 
checked by the same or similar means. The grubs bore 
into the green nuts, causing some to fall before half- 
grown ; others may remain in the nuts until they are 
ri^^e and gathered in the autumn ; consequently, per- 
forated hickory nuts are not at all rare, even on the 
stands of venders in our cities. 

Bud worms, leaf miners, leaf rollers and plant lice, 
— and among the latter several gall-making species, — are 
to be found on the hickories ; but with all these natural 
enemies to contend with, the hickories thrive, grow, and 
yield their fruits in greater or less abundance. To enu- 
merate, describe and illustrate all the insects known to 
be enemies of the hickory would require a large volume, 
but fortunately there are many special works published 
on the insects injurious to vegetation, and these are 
readily obtainable by all who may have occasion to con- 
sult their pages. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE WALK"UT. 

Juglans. The ancient Latin name, first used by 
Pliny, contracted from Jovis glans, the nut of Jove or 
Jupiter. A genus of about eight species, three or four 
of these indigenous to the United States. 

Order, Juglandacem (Walnut family). — Medium to 
large deciduous trees with odd-pinnate leaves ; leaflets 
from fifteen to twenty-one, serrate, mainly oblong and 
pointed. The sexes of flowers separate (monoecious) on 
the same tree, the males in pendulous green cylindrical 
catkins two to three inches long, solitary or in pairs, 
sessile, — not stalked, as in the hickories, — issuing from 
the one-year-old twig^, and at the upper edge of the scar 
left by the falling leaf of the previous season (Fig. 73), 
showing that the male organs emanate from an aggrega- 
tion of bud-cells in the axils of the leaves during the 
preceding summer and autumn. Female flowers ter- 
minal on the new growth in spring, also single, in clus- 
ters, and occasionally in long pendulous racemes with a 
four-cleft calyx, four minute petals and two thick curved 
stigmas. Fruit round or oblong (Fig. 74) ; husk thin, 
drying up without opening by seams, as in the hickories. 
Shell of nut either rough and deeply corrugated, with 
sharp-pointed ridges, or quite smooth, with an undulat- 
ing, wavy surface, very thick in some species and thin 
in others ; kernel two- or indistinctly four-lobed, united 
at the apex, fleshy, rich and oily. 

History. — The common walnut, so long and 
widely known in commerce under various names, such 

203 



204 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 



as Persian, English, French, Italian and European wal- 
nuts, also as Madeira nut, and recently Chile walnut, 
are now all believed to have descended from trees native 
of Persia, most plentiful in the province of Ghilan on 
the Caspian sea, between latitude 35° and 40°, hence the 




if 






FIG. 73. PERSIAN WALNUT, SHOWING POSITION OF SEXUAL ORGANS. 

old Grecian name of the fruit, viz.: Persicon and Basil- 
icon, or Persian Eoyal nut, probably because either 
introduced by the Greek monarchs, or sent to ttiem by 
the Persian kings. Later, — according to Pliny, — the 
Greeks called the trees Car yon, on account of the strong 



THE WALJSUT. 



205 




FIG. 74. BEARING BRAKCH OF ENGLISH "WALNUT. 



206 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

scent of the foliage, and from this name Nuttall coined 
his word, Carya, for our indigenous hickories, as ex- 
plained in the preceding chapter. It should also be 
noted here that the elder Michaux, in 1782-4, was the 
first modern botanist to visit the province of Ghilan, and 
he determined, by personal investigation, that this spe- 
cies of the walnut was really indigenous to that region 
of country, along with the peach and apricot. 

Earlier European authors claim that the walnut 
was first introduced into Italy by Vitellius (emperor) 
early in the first century of the Christian Era, — but this 
is uncertain, — the Romans giving it the name of Ju- 
glandes, or the nut of Jove or Jupiter, both being the 
same mythical personage. The nuts, at this early day, 
were highly prized, and also the wood of the tree, the 
latter being even more valuable than that of the citron 
(orange and lemon). Ovid wrote a poem about these 
nuts, entitled De Nuce, from which we learn that boys 
were employed to, or did of their own accord, knock off 
these nuts ; and that at marriages walnuts were thrown 
by the bride and bridegroom among the children, a 
ceremony which was supposed to indicate that the 
bridegroom had left off his boyish amusements, and 
that the bride was no longer a votary of Diana, and 
it is quite probable that the French word for nuptials, 
des 7i6ces, was derived from this ancient custom. 
The ancients also believed that walnuts possessed pow- 
erful medicinal properties, even to the curing of hydro- 
phobia; but in these latter days they have lost most 
of their curative virtues, in the opinion of the medical 
fraternity. 

As with the chestnut, the planting of the walnut 
extended northward into Gaul (France), hence the 
earlier name of Gaul nuts, which became corrupted into 
walnuts by the English-speaking people. The Italian 
name is Koci; in France, Noyer ; and the Germans, 



THE WALNUT. 207 

with their usual habit of compounding names, call it 
'walnuss-haum or walnut tree. 

Joannis De Loureiro, in his work on the plants of 
China, ^"^ Flora Cochinchinensis," published in 1790, 
claims that this Persian walnut is also a native of the 
northern provinces of China, with two other species 
which he describes (p. 573), adding, however, that one 
of these is cultivated in Cochin China, and the other is 
found wild in the mountains. 

The wild form of this world-wide-famous nut is,. 
doubtless, quite different from the varieties with which 
we are familiar, for two thousand years or more of con- 
tinuous cultivation and selections have greatly changed 
the character of these nuts, as well as the habit of the- 
trees. The nuts from the wild trees are said to have a 
rather thick shell, and to be much smaller than the best of 
the improved cultivated varieties, or very like those we 
now obtain in China and Japan. The Persian walnut, 
in its many varieties, has been planted almost every- 
where in Europe as far north as Warsaw, but does not 
appear to have run wild and become naturalized, as with 
many other kinds of fruit and forest trees. In Great. 
Britain it has probably been cultivated ever since the 
invasion of the country by the Romans, although a 
much later date is named by some of our modern horti- 
cultural authorities. Dodoens (1552), Gerarde (1597), 
Parkinson (1629), and other of our early authors of 
works on cultivated plants, speak of the Persian walnut 
as common in Various countries of Europe, Great Britain 
included. John Evelyn, in his ^^Sylva" (1664), says: 
^'In Burgundy, walnut trees abound where they stand, 
in the meadows of goodly lands, at sixty and a hundred 
feet distance, and so far as hurting the crop, they are 
looked upon as great preservers, keeping the ground 
warm, nor do the roots hinder the plow." Evelyn, no 
doubt, had read what Pliny had said on this point, viz. : 



208 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

^'Eyen the oak will not thrive near the walnut tree; 
which, if it be true, may be owing to the interference of 
their roots in the subsoil ; but it is certain that neither 
grass nor field nor garden crops thrive well under the 
walnut." Evelyn was far too good a gardener and close 
observer to fall into the error of attributing noxious 
properties to the walnut tree, although Pliny's assertion, 
which has no foundation beyond his imagiuation, has 
been many times repeated in these days of supposed gen- 
eral intelligence. Small plants may fail, under the 
shade of large trees, or when deprived of moisture by 
the roots of such trees, but the walnut is no exceiDtion 
to the rule ; in fact, such deep-rooted kinds are less 
injurious than those with roots nearer the surface. 
Evelyn, in continuing his account of the walnut in Ger- 
many, says : ^'Whenever they fell a tree, which is only 
the old, decayed, they always plant a young one near 
him, and, in several places betwixt Hanau and Frank- 
fort, no young farmer whatsoever is permitted to marry 
a wife till he bring proof that he is a father of such a 
stated number of wain Lit trees; and the law is inviolably 
observed to this day, for the extraordinary benefit which 
this tree affords the inhabitants." What a pity that 
some such custom could not have prevailed during the 
past century in the United States. The author from 
whom I have just quoted adds that the Bergstrasse, 
which extends from Heidelberg to Darmstadt, is all 
planted with walnuts. 

Cold winters, however, have occasionally played 
havoc with the walnut trees in Europe, and one of these 
occurred in 1709, when the greater part of the trees 
were seriously injured, especially in Switzerland, Ger- 
many and France. Many trees were cut down for their 
timber, which is always in great demand for gun-stocks 
and furniture. Certain Dutch capitalists, foreseeing 
the scarcity of walnut timber, bought up all they could 



THE Vv'ALXUT. :;i09 

procure, and 3^ears afterwards sold it at a greatly ad- 
vanced price. In the year 1720 an act was passed in 
France to prevent the exportation of walnut timber, and 
this led to the planting of these trees more extensively 
than at any previons date ; this practice has continued to 
the present time, hence the immense revenue secured 
from the exjDortation of these nuts. The people of the 
United States are good customers for the surplus stock 
of Europe, and will probably so continue, until we wake 
up to a sense of our folly of perpetually buying articles 
that could be readily produced at home, and at a very 
large profit. 

Persian Walnut in America. — The date of the 
first experiment in planting this nut in this country is 
now probably unknown, but the oldest tree that I have 
been able to find with an3^thing like a satisfactory his- 
tory, is still growing vigorously at Washington Heights, 
on Manhattan Island, near 160th street and St. Nicholas 
avenue. I gave a brief history of this noble monarch of 
its race in the American Garden for September, 1888, 
from which the following account is condensed: ^'In 
1758 Eoger Morris, an English gentleman, built a sjia- 
cious mansion on his estate, at w^hat, in later years, be- 
came known as Washington Heights. His grounds 
were well laid out for that time, and many rare foreign 
trees and shrubs planted, among them several, as then 
called, English walnuts. Whether these trees were 
raised from the nuts, or plants of some size imported, is 
not now known. Mr. Morris may have procured tlie 
seedlings from the Prince Nurser}^ Flushing, L. L, for 
this famous garden was established in 1713, or fort^^-five 
years j-jrevious to the building of the Morris mansion 
and the planting of the grounds about it. 

''At that period no one doubted the hardiness of the 
so-called English w^alnut in America, and as most of the 
nuts and trees procured for planting came from accli- 
14 



210 THE is^UT CULTURIST. 

mated stock in Great Britain or tlie cooler region of 
Europe, success usually attended such experiments. 
Our pioneers and horticulturists fully expected that the 
trees would thrive and bear nuts in abundance, and time 
has shown that they were not mistaken, although we 
frequently see it stated at this late day, that the Persian 
walnut is not hardy north of the latitude of Washington, 
Philadelphia, or other cities south of New York. 

"One hundred and thirty-eight years have rolled by 
since walnut trees were planted at Washington Heights, 
and at least one of the originals has escaped destruction 
and holds its head aloft, defying the tempests which 
frequently sweep over that elevated and exposed spot on 
Manhattan Island. This veritable patriarch of its race 
in America is a monster in size, its stem between four 
and five feet in diameter at the base and more than 
seventy-five feet high, with wide-spreading branches. 

*^In the summer of 1776 the Battle of Long Island 
was fought, and the American forces were compelled to 
retreat in confusion to New York, thence northward up 
the island ; but when they reached Fort Washington, not 
far from the eleventh milestone on the old Albany post 
road, they made a stand and proceeded to entrench 
themselves at that jDlace. This was in September, 1776, 
and General Washington took possession of the Morris 
mansion near by, making it his headquarters, and, as 
this was at the season when the walnuts had reached an 
edible stage, we may safely presume, from his well-known 
predilection for such delicacies, that he tested the qual- 
ity of the Morris walnuts. One hundred and twenty 
years later I am writing this, with some fresh specimens 
of nuts before me from that same old tree. 

" This old patriarch has cast its shade over many a 
noted person in its time, for in 1810 the Morris estate 
passed into the hands of Madame Jumel, a lady long 
famous for her hospitality and the good cheer she ex- 



THE WALNUT. 211 

tended to the surviving patriots of the Revolution. 
From 1810 to the time of her death, 1865, Madame 
Jumel's household always had an abundance of walnuts 
from the old tree, and one of the workmen on the place 
informed me that about two cartloads was considered a 
fair annual crop." 

It cannot be many years before this old tree will 
meet the same fate that has overtaken many of its 
younger contemporaries which were once growing in the 
neighborhood, for with the rush for building lots and 
the opening of new streets and avenues, trees are usually 
in the way, and in such cases eyen patriarchs are not 
sacred, nor do they command much respect from our 
urban population.* 

A half-century ago there was quite a large number 
of walnut trees scattered about on the northern half of 
Manhattan Island, many of these probably descendants 
of the old Morris trees, but of this nothing definite is 
now known. A number of persons whose ages permit- 
ted them to scan the early days of the present century, 
have assured me that in their childhood they had often 
collected walnuts from goodly sized trees on farms, from 
Harlem northward on the island. The largest number 
of Persian walnut trees planted in any one place was on 
the Tieman farm at Manhattanville, these being set out 
as roadside trees, some of which are still standing, 
although in the march of improvements they must soon 
disappear. These trees have always been noted for their 
productiveness, bearing a full crop every alternate year, 
and a lighter one in what is termed the ^'off season.'' 

While the old Morris walnut tree, and the large 
number growing on the Tieman estate, and scores of 
others scattered about New York city and its suburbs, 

*Sii«;e writing tlie above, and while these pages are being put in 
type, accidentally I learn with regret that the old Morris walnut tree 
lias been destroyed. 



212 THE i^UT CULTURIST. 

have been, and many still are, living witnesses of the 
fact that varieties of the Persian walnut Avill thrive in 
this latitude, certain horticultural authors and essayists 
have continually asserted the contrary. 

Mr. F. J. Scott, in his superb and voluminous work, 
*SSuburban Home Grounds," in speaking of this species 
of the walnut, says, p. 351: *' Though greatly valued 
in England and on the continent for its beauty, as well 
as for its nuts, its want of hardiness in the Northern 
States, and lack of any peculiar beauty in the South, has 
prevented its culture to any great extent in this country. 
South of Philadelphia it may be grown with safety." 
This seems strange language to have come from such an 
eminent authority as the late Mr. Scott, inasmuch as he 
must have passed a hundred times within sight, if not 
in the very shadow of the rows of old walnut trees grow- 
ing at Manhattanville, when going from New York city 
to New burgh, where he studied landscape gardening 
under the lamented A. J. Downing, and to whom the 
work from which I have quoted is dedicated. It is quite 
evident, however, that our author, like many others, 
failed to see things that should have interested him. 

As an offset to Mr. Scott's idea of the northern 
limit for the successful cultivation of this nut, I may 
refer to the work of Mr. George Jacques, ^'Practical 
Treatise on Fruit Trees, Adapted to the Interior of 
New England," published at Worcester, Mass., 1849. 
In referring to the European walnut, p. 238, he says : 
"It is perfectly hardy on Long Island, and to the south 
of New York, and as far north as the city of Charles- 
town in this State (Mass. ), where there may be seen, in 
the enclosure of a residence on Harvard street, two fine 
trees of this kind, either of them much taller and larger 
than our large-sized apple trees. We have eaten nuts 
from these trees well ripened and fully equal to any of 
those imported. The trees often bear a crop of some 



THE WALNUT. 213 

bushels." It is unnecessary to search for furtlier proof 
to show that certain excellent varieties of the Persian 
walnut do thrive and bear abundantly in our Northern 
States ; not, perhaps, in the extreme boreal borders of 
New England, nor in those of the northwest, but the 
acclimated sorts are pretty safe as far north as 42° 
of latitude, and in protected locations may crowd up a 
half degree more. I haye found very productive trees 
of this nut in northern New Jersey, several in Bergen 
county, others in Passaic, and thence southward, and 
while they are few in number, they are sufficient to 
prove that this tree is adapted to the soil and climate of 
the entire State. We seldom find more than one or two 
trees in any garden, and these are probably more the 
result of accident than design, their owners seeming to 
be satisfied in possessing something in the way of a tree 
not common in the neighborhood, never thinking that 
it might be well to plant enough of such trees to have 
them become a source of revenue. The parentage of 
quite a number of these bearing trees is readily traced 
to the Morris and Tieman stock, showing that these old 
trees are of a hardy and prolific race, which are well 
worthy of perpetuation for cold climates. Very old and 
large walnut trees are reported as growing in Pennsyl- 
vania and other of the Middle States, but they are far 
from being numerous. It has long been claimed that 
this species of nut succeeded best in the Southern States, 
and it is probably true, especially with the tender varie- 
ties; but for some reason, unknown to me, they have 
not been planted there in sufficient numbers to have, as 
yet, become of any commercial importance. 

During the past twenty-five years these nuts have 
been more extensively planted in Cnlifornia than else- 
where in the United States, and we may expect soon to 
know something definite in regard to results. Nearly 
all of the favorite French varieties have been introduced, 



214 THE KUT CULTURIST. 

and are now being tested in different i^arts of the State, 
and it is quite likely that the greater j)art will succeed, 
although some of the early-blooming sorts may fail in 
localities subject to late spring frosts. Preyious to the 
introduction of grafted trees of the named varieties, the 
only trees of this kind planted in California were seed- 
lings raised from the common imported nuts ; but I 
have no statistics at hand to determine the date of the 
first j)lantings of this kind. 

Of late 3^ears there has been received, at some of 
our seaports, and especially at Isew York, some quite 
large consignments of walnuts from South America, 
under the name of ^^ Chile walnuts," but they are only 
varieties of the Persian raised in Chile. They are gen- 
erally of good size, moderately thin shelled, with plump 
kernels of excellent flavor. They are in great demand 
for confectionery, and are really better for such purposes 
than the larger and fancy bleached walnuts imported 
under the somewhat general name of Grenobles, or 
French walnuts. Owing to the difference of climate, 
these Chile walnuts arrive here late in winter, or about 
the time those coming from European countries the pre- 
vious autumn begin to become somewhat stale. 

Of our native species of this genus {Juglans), the 
almost everywhere common butternut ranks first in 
flavor and general estimation, but owing to its hard, 
rough shell, and the difficulty in extracting the kernel, 
it has never become of any considerable importance, 
although usually found in our markets in limited quan- 
tities. Of course, it is a general favorite in the country, 
and whei'ever found in sufficient quantities the boys and 
girls lay up a goodly supply for winter use ; and crack- 
ing butternuts during the long winter evenings is a 
pastime and pleasure not to be ignored nor forgotten. 
The fiavor of the butternut is far more delicate, and 
better, than any of. the Persian species, but the diffi- 



THE WALKL'T. 215 

culty in extracting the iMtluT small kernel is a serious 
objection. 

The black walnut has a larger kernel, in ^iroportion 
to its size, than the butternut, and it is not so difficult 
to extract when the nuts are dry, but the flavor is too 
rank for most palates, although it has often been referred 
to as excellent by the earlier botanists who yisited this 
country ; but it has never been considered of much value 
until quite recently, or since the manufacturers of con- 
fectionery discoyered that heat somewhat subdued the 
rank flavor, and now many tons of the meats are annu- 
ally consumed in candies and walnut cakes. I am cred- 
ibly informed that cracking black walnuts and shipping 
the meats to our larger cities has become quite an exten- 
sive industry in several of the Middle and Western States. 
We have two other but smaller native species of the wal- 
nut that will be described further on, under the head 
Species and Varieties. 

Propagation of Walnuts. — The propagation of 
the walnut in the natural way, or by seed, is exceedingly 
simple, for the nuts grow readily and freely if planted 
soon after they are ripe, or any time before they become 
old and the kernels shriveled. It is, of course, best to 
plant them while fresh, but they are not at all delicate, 
and may be transported a long distance in a dry condi- 
tion without seriously affecting their vitality. If wal- 
nuts are given the same care as recommended in the 
preceding pages for other kinds of nuts, so much the 
better. 

The seedlings of walnuts, like those of other sj^ecies, 
usually produce long taproots, and if grown in a compact 
soil, these will have few small lateral fibers the first sea- 
son, as shown in Fig. 75 ; but wdien taken up and the 
vertical main root shortened at a, and then replanted, 
they produce fibrous roots in abundance. The trees of 
almost any age from one to tv/enty years old, are not at 



216 



THE XUT CULTURIST. 



all difficult to make live when transplanted, provided 
the branches or tops of the trees are reduced, to corre- 
spond with loss of roots in digging up at the time of 
removal. It may be well to give 
a word of caution to the novice in 
nut culture about pruning nut 
trees in spring, after the sap begins 
to flow ; for if done at this time 
they will bleed freely and leave 
unhealthy wounds and black, un- 
sightly spots on the bark. Prune 
walnuts in summer or early in 
winter, to give time for the wounds 
to season before the buds swell in 
spring. If young trees are to be 
dug up, prune after they are taken 
from the ground, then the sap will 
not flow from the wounds. This 
is true of all deciduous trees, 
vines and shrubs. If the trees 
have few small roots when taken 
up, prune severely ; but if roots 
are al^undant, little pruning will 
be required. It is seldom, how- 
ever, in transplanting walnuts, 
that the pruning need be as severe 
as recommended for the chestnut ; 
in fact, having transplanted wal- 
nuts of various species, and of 
all ages from one to twenty years, 
without the loss of a plant, I have 
FIG. 75. sEEDLixG WALNUT, come tothc concluslou that they 
are pretty safe trees to handle, in this climate, at least, 
if not elsewhere. 

In seeking walnuts from a distance, for planting 
anywhere in the Middle or Northern States, it will be 




THE WALNUT. 217 

well to learn something in advance about the climate in 
whicli the nuts are raised ; for it would be folly to send 
for either trees or nnts to a warm or semi-tropical region, 
like that of southern France or Spain, for a stock to 
cultivate in a climate as cold as that of New York, New 
Jersey, and States on the same line westward. We 
might, perchance, from such importation, secure one 
hardy plant in a hundred or thousand, but there would 
be no certainty of even this small number. 

This idea of acclimation and adaptation of trees 
to conditions and climate should not be overlooked 
by the nut culturist, no matter from what source 
he procures his stock, whether from abroad, or some 
distant region of his own country. If it can be 
obtained from a region where it has been growing 
under conditions similar to those to which it is to 
be transferred for cultivation, then the chances of 
success will certainly be largely augmented. Accli- 
mation is a slow process ; in fact, too slow for us to 
expect to secure any appreciable advantages from it 
in a lifetime, but in nature we seek final results, leaving 
time out of the question. 

In raising seedling trees we cannot expect much 
more than a reproduction of the species, and not that of 
the parent tree. Plants that have been subjected to un- 
natural conditions and surroundings, as usual under cul- 
tivation, are far more likely to show a wider range of va- 
riation in the seedlings than those growing wild in their 
native habitats ; but even the latter cannot be depended 
upon to reproduce exact types from seed. In other 
words, there is nothing certain about seedling nut trees ; 
the large nuts may produce trees bearing very small ones, 
the early-ripening give late ones, the tall dwarf trees 
and the precocious fruiting some of the most tardy vari- 
eties ; and yet, with all this uncertainty, we still think 
it best to select for planting the best nuts obtainable. 



218 THE IsJJT CULTUEIST. 

i. e.3 best and most promising for the conditions under 
whicli the seedlings are to be grown. 

For the multiplication and perpetuation of choice 
varieties we must resort to artificial modes of propaga- 
tion, mainly by budding and grafting. These modes, 
however, while the best at present known, are so diffi- 
cult and uncertain in cool ciimates, — even in the hands 
of the most skilful propagators, — that grafted w^alnut 
trees have never been very plentiful in the nurseries of 
this or other countries with which we have commercial 
relations. In the south of France nurserymen appear to 
have been more successful in the propagation of walnuts 
by budding and grafting, than elsew^here ; but in the 
northern provinces, as well as in Great Britain, we hear 
little of this mode of propagation. So difficult has this 
mode of propagating the walnut been considered in Eng- 
land, that Thomas Andrew Knight, president of the 
London Horticultural Society, early in the present cen- 
tury discouraged all attempts to proj)agate this tree by 
such means ; but later, in a paper read before the Soci- 
ety April 7, 1818, he admits to having changed his 
mind, especially in regard to budding the walnut, and 
says : 

"The buds of trees of almost every species succeed 
with most certainty when inserted on the shoots of the 
same year's growth ; but the walnut tree appears to 
afford an exception ; possibly, in some measure, because 
its buds contain withm themselves, in the spring, all 
the leaves which the tree bears in the following summer, 
whence its annual shoots cease to elongate soon after its 
buds unfold ; all its buds of each season are also, conse- 
quently, very nearly of the same age, and long before 
any have acquired the proper degree of maturity for 
being removed, the annual branches have ceased to grow 
longer or to produce new foliage. ... To obviate the 
disadvantage arising from the preceding circumstances, T 



THE WALXUT. 210 

adopted means of retarding the period of the veo-etation 
of the stocks comparatively with tliat of the bearing 
tree : and by these means I became partially successful. 
There are, at the base of the annual shoots of the wal- 
nut and other trees, where these join the year-old wood, 
many minute buds which are almost concealed in the 
bark, and which rarely or never vegetate but in the 
event of the destruction of the large prominent buds 
which occupy the middle and opposite end of the annual 
wood. By inserting in each stock one of these minute 
buds and one of the large prominent kind, 1 had the 
pleasure to find that the minute buds took freely, 
while the large all failed without a single exception." 

From the above and other remarks of Mr. Knight, 
in the paper read by him, I infer that he kept the stocks 
in pots stored in a cool place in spring, until he could 
obtain shoots of the season from bearing trees, and from 
these minute undeveloped axillary buds for inserting in 
the stocks. These buds, as he informs us, are inserted 
in the wood of the preceding season, and near the sum- 
mit or to23. He does not give any directions for holding 
the buds in place, whether by w^axed or plain bass liga- 
tures ; the former, how^ever, would probably be prefer- 
able, for the purpose of excluding the air and water. 

Some twenty years later (1838) J. C. Loudon, in 
^'Arboretum Britannicum," etc., refers to the propagation 
af the walnut as follows : ^^Much has been written on 
the subject by French authors, from which it appears 
that in the north of France, and in cold countries gen- 
erally, the walnut does not bud or graft easily by any 
mode ; but that in the south of France and north of 
Italy it may be budded or grafted by different modes, 
with success. At Metz, the Baron de Tschoudy found 
the flute method (Fig. 76) almost the only one which he 
could practice with success. By this mode an entire 
ring of bark, containing one or more buds, is removed 



220 



THE .¥UT CULTUKIST. 



from a twig on a tree to be multiplied, and transferred 
to the stock, and made to fit as shown. If the ring is 
too large, a slice may be cut off ; and if too small, a 
23iece of the bark of the stock may be left to fill the 
space." Both stock and parent tree must be in about 
the same condition or stage of growth when this ring 
bndding is done, in order that the bark containing the 
bud may peel off freely from the wood, and this is always 
in the spring, soon after the buds 
begin to unfold and the sap is in 
motion. Loudon says that in Dan- 
phi ne, France, young plants in the 
nurseries are budded chiefly by this 
mode, which succeeds best the closer 
the operation is performed to the col- 
lar of the plant ; and the same is 
true in grafting, the nearer the root 
the better, as has been found by ex- 
perience with hickories. 

Charles Baltet, in his '^L'Art de 
Greffer," recommends grafting in the 
usual mode of crown grafting, also 
flute or ring grafting, in April or 
May, and ordinary cleft grafting close 
to the root and at the forks of the 
branches, etc. He says that the cion 
should be cut, as much as possible, 
obliquely across the pith, so that it may be exposed on 
one side only. He also advises using cions whose base 
consists of wood of two years' growth, and these fur- 
nished with a terminal bud. He cautions propagators 
against grafting early-growing kinds upon those of later 
vegetation. If w^alnuts of any of the native or foreign 
species have been successfully joropagated by budding or 
grafting, at any of the nurseries in our Eastern States, it 
has not been made known in the nurserymen's catalogues. 




FIG. 76. 
FLiUTE BUDDING. 



THE WALN^UT. ;^21 

Michael Floy, who early in the present centnry had 
quite extensive grounds devoted to fruit and ornamental 
trees, near what is now the centef of New York city, as 
we learn from his ^'G-uide to the Orchard," published in 
1833, claims, in this work, that the Persian walnuts 
thrive well in this country, but admits that he had never 
succeeded in grafting the trees, and with the hickories 
had no better success, although he had tried them many 
times; but he adds: '^ Still I do not say it is im- 
possible either to bud or graft them ; but there is 
something peculiar about it, for both the bud and graft 
turn black when cut, almost instantaneously. Others 
may succeed better, but let them try it before they 
affirm it upon hearsay ; they may succeed very well by 
inarching. " 

Coming down to the present day, in our search for 
facts and information in regard to the propagation of 
varieties of the walnut, we may find it interesting to 
visit California, which, of all the States of the Union, is 
perhaps the best adapted to nut culture in general ; 
besides, a larger number of nut trees of various kinds 
have been planted there than elsew^here in this country. 
It is in California that we find such men as Felix Gillet, 
of Nevada City, an enthusiastic propagator and culti- 
vator of fruit and nut trees, and especially of the latter, 
if we may judge by his works and writings on this 
branch of horticulture, — and so far as I have been able 
to learn, he is the only nurseryman in the United States 
who has grafted walnut trees of many different varieties 
for sale. 

In regard to modes of propagation, Mr. Gillet says 
that the common mode of shield budding, as emj^loyed 
on fruit trees, fails entirely with small walnuts from one 
to three years from the seed, and it does but seldom suc- 
ceed even on larger stocks. When tried on large, old 
stocks, he advises removing all the wood from the inner 



222 THE J^iUT CULTURIST. 

side of the strip of bark on wliicli the bud is situated, 
and at the same time have this strip not less than two 
inches long and as broad as possible. He describes his 
mode of grafting walnuts, which does not differ materi- 
ally from those already given. That he has never at- 
tained any very remarkable results may be inferred from 
the following : 

^^We will add that the ^grafted walnuts' that we 
offer were grafted expressly for us, regardless of cost, by 
the most reliable firm to be found in the walnut district 
in France, through a process discovered several years 
ago, and which we will briefly describe for the benefit of 
people who may be inclined to try this new method of 
grafting very young walnuts. 

"One-year-old seedlings of the size of the little fin- 
ger, or about one-half inch in diameter at the butt, are 
selected, the root cut back short enough to permit the 
planting of the trees in pots of three inches in depth ; 
the trees, previously to being potted, are grafted with 
cions exactly of the same size, whip or cleft grafting 
being used ; the pots are then taken to a hot or propa- 
gating house, and a glass bell set over them to prevent 
the outside air getting to the grafts, the temperature 
of the house being kept day and night, at least for 
fifteen days, or till the grafting has taken, to 70° F. 
When the grafts are well taken and growing, the glass 
bells are removed, and the grafts allowed to grow three 
or four inches, before the little grafted trees are set out 
in nursery rows; it may be preferable, especially in cer- 
tain parts of the country, to keep the trees in the 
pots till the ensuing spring. Forty to fifty per cent 
of the grafts will succeed, and it is the best that can 
be done. 

''This mode of grafting the walnut, besides requir- 
ing a hothouse, needs the care of a skillful person to 
make it succeed. So are grafted the little trees that we 



THE WALNUT. 25i3 

import from France, and that we plant in nursery rows 
and offer to tlie public." 

For other modes of root grafting, I refer the reader 
to those recommended for the hickories, in the preced- 
ing chapter. Propagating walnuts by layers is practica- 
ble, where the small trees have been cut down to force 
out new shoots near the surface of the ground, then bent 
down and covered with soil in the usual method of lay- 
ering woody plants. 

Planting and Pruning. — The plants will produce 
a greater number of fibrous roots if the nuts are planted 
in light, loose, but rich soil, than in a heavy, tenacious 
one ; but with all kinds it is best to transplant when 
one or two years old, and cut off a portion of the tap- 
roots, as recommended for the hickories. When re- 
moved from the nursery rows for final planting, prune 
away nearly or quite all side branches, leaving only the 
terminal bud if the trees are not more than six to eight 
feet high. After final planting where the trees are to 
remain permanently, very little pruning will ever be 
required, further than to cut away branches that may 
cross each other, or to shorten some to give proper form 
to the head. No tree in cultivation requires less prun- 
ing than walnuts. 

As a genus of trees the walnuts flourish best in 
deep, rich loam, rather light than heavy, and in this 
country require considerable moisture at the roots, and 
some, like the butternut, succeed best in bottomlands, 
near creeks and larger streams. If the soil is naturally 
too dry for such trees, the fault can be readily remedied 
by the use of some form of mulch apjDlied to the surface 
of the soil around the stem, after planting, renewing this 
annually, or oftener if necessary, until the trees are large 
enough to shade the ground. 

Walnut trees, as well as the closely allied hickories, 
are well adapted for roadside planting, and when set in 



224: THE XUT CULTURIST. 

such positions are far less likely to be injured by insects 
than when jjlanted in orchards or large groups, besides 
serving a double purpose, being ornamental as well as 
useful. They may also be planted around buildings, 
and where other and less valuable trees are generally 
grown. There are also millions of acres of rocky hill- 
sides and old fields which might be utilized for nut 
orchards, and if rather widely scattered over such land 
they would 23rove beneficial in shaaing the pasture 
grasses. First of all, however, let us have rows of these 
trees along all our country roads, after which it will be 
time enough to begin planting them elsewere. 

SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF WALNUTS. 

Native of the United States {Juglans cinerea. 
Linn.). Butternut. White Walnut. — Leaflets fifteen 
to nineteen, oblong-lanceolate and sharp-pointed, rounded 
at the base, downy, especially on the underside, 
petioles covered with viscid hairs ; fruit oblong, two 
or more inches in length, with a clammy husk, not 
opening when ripe, but closely adhering to the deeply 
corrugated and rough, thick shell. Trees wdth Avi de- 
spreading branches, and of medium hight, or from forty 
to fifty feet, but in deep forests sometimes sixty to 
seventy, with stems two to three feet in diameter. A 
common tree in moist soils almost everywhere, from the 
Canadas southward to the highlands of northern Georgia, 
Alabama, and sparingly in Mississippi and Arkansas, 
and all the States bordering the Mississippi river north- 
ward to Minnesota. A valuable timber tree, with soft, 
light wood, much used of late for furniture and inside 
house finishing. In early times the inner bark was 
employed for making a yellow dye, also as a medicine, 
the extract being a mild cathartic, hence one of the 
sjDecific names, Catliartica. 



THE WALNUT. 225 

Synonyms . 

Juglans ohlonga alha, Marshall. 

Juglans cathartica, Micbaiix. 

Carya cathartica, Barton, 1818. 

Wallia cinerea, Alefeld, 1861. 

Varieties of the Butternut. — There are to be 
found many varieties of the butternut, varying mainly 
in the size of the nuts, and only slightly in the thickness 
of the shell ; but I am not aware that any of tbese have 
ever been propagated, all the trees in cultivation or else- 
where having been grown from the nuts. This nut is, 
no doubt, susceptible of great improvement, as well as 
others of the genus, and it is worthy of being experi- 
mented with for that purpose, especially in cold, north- 
ern climates, where there are few or no other kinds of 
edible nuts. Probably the most direct and surest way 
to secure improved varieties is by hybridizing, taking 
the butternut for the female parent, and the Persian 
walnut for the male. Hybrids between these two si3ecies 
are already known, and they will, no doubt, become 
more plentiful as soon as skillful horticulturists are en- 
couraged to produce them. Several hybrid wahmts of 
other species are figured and described by European hor- 
ticulturists, but, so far as known, they are mainly acci- 
dental productions, and not the result of any direct 
effort of man ; iiature, in this instance, merely giving a 
hint of the possible, leaving us to avail ourselves of the 
lesson if we feel so inclined. 

J. Le Conte, in a list of four hundred and fifty 
plants, collected by him on the island of Xew York 
(Manhattan), and published in the ^^ Medical and Philo- 
sophical Register," Vol. II, 1812, mentions a hybrid 
walnut among the number. Dr. John Torrey, in "Cat- 
alogue ot Plants," etc., 1819, refers to this tree under 
the name of Juglans hyhrida, and says that it is grow- 
ing near where Eighth avenue intersects the road called 
15 



226 THE NUT CULTUEIST. 

Lake Tours, about three miles from the city, and is a 
large tree. This specimen probably disappeared long 
ago, and we have no means now of determining its ori- 
gin or between what two species it was a hybrid. 

Eecently Prof. C. S. Sargent has discovered other 
hybrid walnuts in the neighborhood of Boston, and fig- 
ured and described one in Garden and Forest for Oct. 
31, 1894. He says: ^* My attention was first called to 
the fact by observing that a tree which I had supposed 
was a so-called English walnut (Juglans regia), in the 
grounds connected with the Episcopal school of Harvard 
college, at Cambridge, was not injured by the cold of the 
severest winters, although Juglans regia generally suf- 
fers from cold here, and rarely grows to a large size. 
This individual is really a noble tree ; the trunk forks, 
about five feet above the surface of the ground, into two 
limbs, and girths, at the point where its diameter is 
smallest, fifteen feet and two inches. The divisions of 
the trunk spread slightly and form a wide, round-topped 
head of pendulous branches of unusual symmetry and 
beauty, and probably sixty to seventy feet high. A 
closer examination of this tree showed that it was hardly 
to be distinguished from Juglans regia in habit, in the 
character of the bark, or in the form and coloring of the 
leaves, and that the oblong nut, with its thick shell 
deeply sculptured into narrow ridges, was the slightly 
modified nut of our native butternut, Juglans regia. 
Two other trees with the same peculiarities were after- 
wards found. One is a large, widespreading specimen, 
with a trunk diameter of four feet three inches about 
two feet above the surface of the ground, and just below 
the point where it divides into three large limbs. This 
is on the grounds of Mr. Eben Bacon of Jamaica Plain, 
and is supposed to have been 23lanted between fifty 
and sixty years ago. The other has a tall, straight 
trunk, with a diameter of three feet one inch at three 



THE WALNUT. 227 

feet above the surface of the ground, and is growing on 
a farm near Houghton's Pond, in Milton, at the base of 
the southeastern slope of the Blue Hills." 

That there should be hybrid walnuts is nothing 
strange or wonderful, and we often marvel that there 
should be so few of them in regions where two or more 
species are growing in close proximity in the same forest 
or elsewhere, but from whence came these specimens in 
Massachusetts is somewhat of a mystery. We may 
safely conclude, however, that the hybridizing did not. 
occur there, but somewhere else, and either the nuts or 
small seedling trees were introduced and planted where 
these hybrid specimens are now growing. It is possible 
that they are descendants of the old hybrid walnut tree 
of New York city, mentioned by Le Conte and Dr. 
Torrey, some one having sent nuts or seedlings to friends 
in Massachusetts, and the three trees described by Prof. 
Sargent are merely those which have survived until 
the present day, these retaining the hybrid character- 
istics of their parent. These hybrids may or may not 
possess any special economic value, but they are of con- 
siderable scientific interest, and for this reason alone 
are well worthy of careful preservation and extensive 
propagation. 

Butternut Sugar. — It has often been claimed that 
sugar can be made from the native butternut tree, and 
while it is true that the sweetish sap flows readily from 
wounds made in this tree in early spring, the amount 
and quality of sugar to be obtained from it is scarcely 
worthy of serious attention. In my boyhood days but- 
ternut syrup and sugar were considered as ^'sticky jokes" 
of the sugar camp. 

Hybrids in California. — Mrs. Ninetta Eames, 
writing, in the American Agriculturist, of new varieties 
of walnuts in California, refers to certain species and 
varieties growing in that State, as follows : 



228 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 




FLOWERING BRANCH OF HYBRID WALNUT. 

J, reaia x J' Calif ornica. 



THE WALKUT. 229 

^^On one of the avenues in Santa Rosa there are some 
dozen or so ornamental shade trees, which invariably 
attract the passers. It is not only that they are uncom- 
monly beautiful, but that there is something unfamiliar 
about them. One unhesitatingly pronounces them 
^walnuts/ from their unmistakable likeness to both 
the English walnut and the native species found growing 
along the streams of middle and southern California. 
They are, in fact, a cross between the Juglans regia and 
J. Calif ornica, the wild black walnut of this State. In 
its appearance, this magnificent hybrid is nicely balanced 
between both parents, but it is superior to either of 
them in beauty and luxuriance of foliage, and in its 
j)henomenal growth. There is, indeed, but one tree, 
the eucalyptus, that grows more rapidly. In speaking 
of this quality in the new walnut, Mr. Luther Bur- 
bank says : ' It often excels the combined growth 
of both parents, adding twelve to sixteen feet to its 
hight in one year. Given like conditions, a budded 
six-year-old hybrid is twice as large as a black walnut 
at twenty years of age.' 

^^The clean cut, bright green leaves make a remark- 
able showing, being all the way from two feet to a yard 
in length, and of graceful, drooping habit (Fig. 77). 
They are sweet-scented, too, — a delightful fragrance, 
resembling that of June apples. Another admirable 
feature of this hybrid walnut is its smooth, grayish bark, 
with white marblings not unlike the Eastern sugar 
maple. The wood is compact, with lustrous, satiny 
grain, and takes an elegant polish, which gives it unmis- 
takable commercial value. Like the majority of hybrids, 
though blossoming freely it yields a scant crop of nuts, 
one or two annually on a single tree, and this only after 
twelve years of persistent barrenness. The seed, when 
planted, goes back to its parent distinctiveness, — one- 
half turning out to be English walnuts and the other 



230 



THE NUT CULTURTST. 




FIG. 78. HYBRIU WALNUT. J. iiigra^X J- Calif ornica. 



FIG. 79. HYBRID WALNUT, SHELL REMOVED. J. nigra X J- Calif omica. 



THE WALNUT. 



231 




^^^ 




half black walnuts, — the true liybrid being only 
reproduced by grafting 
on a thrifty young Jti- 
glans Californica. 

''Another liandsome 
novelty in shade trees, 
is a hybrid from the 
Juglans nigra, or well- 
known Eastern black 
walnut, and J. Califor- 
nica (Figs. 78 and 79). 
It makes a charmirg 
ornamental tree, and 
bears, in its season, a 
prolific crop of unusually 
large nuts, which have 
little value except in the 
eyes of school children.. 
Several of these hybrids 
are growing in Santa 
Eosa, and present an in- 
teresting study to the 
23omologist. 

''A still more unique 
species of the walnut 
genus is the Juglans 8ie- 
holdianay a Japanese wal- 
nut which grows abun- 
dantly in the mountain- 
ous districts of the island 
of Yesso, and also in the 
more southern divisions 
of the empire. Several 
of these remarkable trees ^ 

are to be found in the fig. so. juglans sieuuldiaxa raceme. 
Kew gardens, but only one specimen is said to be grow- 



< 



\ 



232 



THE NUT CULTUPtlST. 



iiig in America, and this has recently come into pro- 
fuse bearing on the Bnrbank experimental farm, eight 
miles from Santa Rosa, California. According to good 
authority, this Japanese walnut not only attains its 
greatest perfection in this favored climate, but it thriyes 
equally well in countries too cold for the common 
walnut, J. regia. In its wild state in J'apan, the Juglans 
Sieboldiana (whose curious raceme of nuts is shown in 
Fig. 80) makes a wide-spreading tree about fifty feet in 
hight, with pale, furrowed bark; nuts an inch and a 
half long, with a diameter one- third less, and a kernel 

having much the 
flavor of the com- 
mon walnut. The 
tree bearing so 
thriftily on Califor- 
nia soil, suggests its 
possible value as a 
j marketable nut, 
^] while it already fur- 
nishes a remarkable 
addition to horticul- 
tural interests." 

Juglans n i - 
GKA, Linn. Black 
Walnut . — Leaflets 
FIG. 81. BLACK WALNUT IN HTTSK. cleven to sevcnteeu, 
rarely more ; ovate-lanceolate, smooth above, moderately 
pubescent beneath, pointed, somewhat heart-shaped at 
the base ; leafstalks slightly downy, usually of a pale 
purplish color early in the season, especially on young 
trees ; fruit large, mostly globose (Fig. 81) ; husk thin, 
roughly dotted ; shell thick, hard, deeply and unevenlv 
corrugated with rough, sharp ridges and points (Fig. 
82) ; kernel large, sweet, but usually with a strong, 
rather rank taste, but less oily than the butternut. 




THE WALXUT. 



2d-s 



Trees grow to an immense size, witli deeply furrowed 
bark ; wood dark colored, yaluable for cabinet work, 
inside finishing, gnn stocks, etc. Common in deep, rich 
soils, from western Massachusetts west to southern Min- 
nesota, and southward to Florida. Most abundant west 
of the Alleghany mountains, and especially in the rich 
valleys of the Western States distant from railroads and 
water communication; elsewhere the trees have long 
since been cut for their 
timber. I have only one 
synonym to record, and 
this is scarcely worthy of 
notice, viz. : Wallia nigra. 
(Alefeld in ^^Bonplandia," 
1861.) 

Varieties of the 
Black Walnut. — As with 
the butternut, there are no 
varieties of the black walnut 
in cultivation; at least, 
none propagated by means 
which will insure the perpetuation of their varietal char- 
acteristics. It is true that there are plenty of wild vari- 
eties to be found, these varying widely in size and form, 
and somewhat in thickness of their shell, as well as the 
ease with which the kernels may be extracted, but none 
of these have been ])erpetuated by artificial means. 
Among the earliest varieties recognized by botanists, 
one was called Oblong Black Walnut, Juglans nigra 
oilonga, by Miller, 1754, and perhaps in earlier editions 
of the ''Gardener's Dictionary." He says this is from 
Virginia, and only a variety of the common black wal- 
nut. Marshall, in 1785, describes this ''black oblong 
fruited walnut," and adds : "There are, perhaps, some 
other varieties." These oblong, or, more correctly 
speaking, oval nuts, often sharp-pointed at both ends. 




FIG. 82 



JUGLAJfS NIGRA, 
KEMOVED. 



234 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

are rather plentiful at this time. There are rarely any 
considerable iinmber of bushels reaching market from 
Virginia and adjacent States, among which these oval or 
oblong nuts cannot be found. I haye a number before 
me measuring from one inch to one and a quarter in 
diameter, and from one and a half to nearly two inches 
in length. Other varieties found, perhaj)S, in the same 
lot, are broader than long, or one and seven-eighths 
inches broad, by one and one-half in vertical diameter. 
These measurements are of the cleaned shell, after the 
husks have been removed. 

For several years a ''thin -shelled black walnut" has 
been offered by at least two nurserymen, in whose cata- 
logues they are described as "with unusually thin shells, 
the kernels coming out whole." I have endeavored to 
ascertain the origin of this variety, but failed, for both 
of the nursery firms who advertised the trees for sale 
admit that they do not know from whom they obtained 
the nuts planted, or where the original tree is growing. 
As the trees offered are only seedlings, there is no cer- 
tainty that they will produce nuts with '^^thin shells." 
We can safely drop this supposed variety from the list 
until something definite is known about it. 

JuGLANS Califork-ica, Watson. California Wal- 
nut. — Leaflets in from five to eight pairs, more or less 
dow^ny, but sometimes smooth, oblong-lanceolate, sharp- 
pointed, narrowing upward from near the base, two to 
two and a half inches long. Male catkins much larger 
than in our Eastern species, or from four to eight inches, 
often in pairs. Fruit round, slightly compressed, three- 
fourths to one inch and a quarter in diameter ; husk 
thin, slightly dotted or roughened ; shell dark brown, 
very faintly sculptured (Fig. 83), almost smooth, thick, 
the kernel filling two broad cavities upon each side ; edi- 
ble and fairly good. A tree or large shrub in the vicin- 
ity of San Francisco and along the Sacramento (where 



THE WALNUT. 



235 





FIG. 83. 
JUGLAKS CALIFORNICA. 



it is sometimes ciiltiyated), growing to the hight of 
forty to sixty feet, and two to four feet in diameter; 
ranging southward to Santa Barbara, and eastward 
through southern Arizona to New Mexico and Sonora 
(Thurber, "Botany of California"). This species has 
been considered by some botanists as only a variety of 
the next, or Juglans riipestris, var. Major, Torrey. 
Scarcely hardy in the latitude of 
lN"ew York city, except an occasional 
seedling from nuts gathered along 
the northern limits of the species, 
or from the cooler eleyated regions 
of the Pacific slope. It is of no 
special yalue, only adding one more 
edible nut tree to the list. 

Juglans Rupestris, Engelmann. Texas Walnut. 
New Mexico Walnut. — Leaflets thirteen to twenty-five, 
smooth, bright green, small, narrow, and long-pointed; 
male catkins short, or about two inches long, and quite 
slender ; fruit round or oblate ; husk 
thin, nearly smooth ; nut small, one- 
half to three-fourths of an inch in 
diameter ; shell very thick, rather 
deeply furrowed, the narrow grooves on 
the greater part continuous from base 
to apex, the broad edges of the ridges 
smooth, not jagged as in the butternut 
RiPESTRis, SHOW- aud bhick walnut. Kernel sweet and 

ING SMALL KERNEL. ^^QQ(J^ ^^^^ g^ gj^^^ll (J^jg.^ g4) ^^ ^^^^ ^q 

be worth the trouble of extracting. A small and neat tree 
twenty to forty feet high, native of the bottom lands of 
the Colorado in Texas, and throughout the western part 
of the State, extending through southern and central 
New Mexico to Arizona. In New Mexico it reaches an 
elevation of seven or eight thousand feet, though the 
climate is often severe, the temperature dropping to zero 




FIG. 84. JUGLANS 



236 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

and below during the winter. Seedlings raised from 
■nuts obtained near the northern limits of this species in 
Texas and New Mexico would probably be hardy in 
most of the jSi orthern States, but they are scarcely worth 
cultiyatiug for their nuts, owing to the small size and 
thick shell ; but as the trees are neat and graceful they 
are worthy of a place among other useful and orna- 
mental kinds. An occasional bearing tree of tliis Texas 
walnut may be seen in the gardens and parks of the 
Eastern States, and probably in some of the Western, 
but I have no direct information in regard to their loca- 
tions or age. 

Synonyms : 

Juglans rupestris, Torrey. 

Juglans Califrrnica, Watson, Bot. California. 

Oriental Walnuts. — How few or many species of 
the walnut are indigenous to China, Korea, Japan and 
other Oriental countries it would be very difficult to 
determine, with our present limited knowledge of the 
forests of that part of the world. The few botanists 
who haye had opportunities of studying the flora of 
those regions do not agree as to names or number of 
species of the genus. Loureiro, in his "Flora Cochin- 
chinensis" (1788), names three species as indigenous to 
China, viz. : Juglans regia in the northern part, but 
this is now considered very doubtful ; Juglans Camirium, 
Ehumphius, a medium-sized, heart-shaped nut, the trees 
found in the forests, and also under cultivation ; Ju- 
glans Catappa, a large forest tree in the Cochin China 
mountains, with oblong, edible nuts, with husk and 
shell of nuts of a reddish color. Many years later Sie- 
bold describes a Japan walnut under the name of Juglans 
Japonica, and still later the Eussian botanist, Maxi- 
omowicz, renames this, in honor of Siebold, Juglans 
Sieholdiana, and describes another native of Japan as 
Juglans cordiformis. But prior to any of the authors 



THE WALNUT. 23> 

named, Thnnberg had described a Japan walnut under 
the name of Jiiglans nigra, probably the same as Lou- 
reiro's sj^ecies, with reddish husk, but as this name had 
already been given to an American species it had to be 
drojDped. Maxiomowicz also describes what he supposed 
to be a distinct species, found in the forests of Mand- 
shuria under the name of /. Mandshurica (1872), but 
it is doubtful if it is anything more than one of the 
many wild forms of the species found widely distributed 
over eastern Asia. The red or black fruited walnut of 
Loureiro (/. Catajjpa), and Siebold's black walnut (J. 
nigra), are probably the same as the Ailantus-leaved 
{J. ailantifolia) , recently described in Xichols<m's 
''Dictionary of Gardening," London, Eng., 1884, the 
origin of which is said to be uncertain. It is Juglans 
Mandshurica, Maxim, in Alphonse Lavallee's ''Cata- 
logue of Arboretum Segrezianum." As described in 
this work, the young fruit is violet-red, and produced in 
long pendulous clusters, the latter being one of the 
marked characteristics of these Oriental walnuts. But 
whether we admit that there is but one or a dozen spe- 
cies of these Eastern walnuts, it cannot be of any special 
interest to the practical nut culturist, for to him their 
economic and commercial value is of more importance 
than scientific nomenclature. 

Up to the present time we have only succeeded in 
obtaining two species of these walnuts, or perhaps only 
one species and one variety ; but we certainly have two 
distinct forms, both coming from Japan, and distrib- 
uted under the names given them by Maxiomowicz, viz. : 

Juglans Sieboldtana (Siebold Walnut). — Leaflets 
sessile, usually fifteen, five to seven inches long, oblong- 
pointed, thin, soft, downy, serratures very shallow, pale 
green above and somewhat lighter beneath ; footstalks 
densely clothed with clammy hairs ; fruit in long pen- 
dulous clusters of a half dozen to a dozen, one and a 



•338 THE i^UT CULTUKIST. 

half inches or more long by a little more than one inch 
broad in the middle; husk thin, downy or clammy; nut 
somewhat compressed, the point usually bending to one 
side ; shell smooth, with two shallow grooves from base 
upward on the sides opposite to the sharp, prominent 
ridges at the seams of the two lobes, the shell ending in 
a strong, sharp point (Fig. 85). The shell is very hard 
and thick ; the kernel small, sweet, oily, resembling in 
taste our common butternut ; tree a rapid and stocky 
grower, the coarse shoots and 
large leaves resembling those of 
the Ailantus tree at first, but 
soon spreading branches appear, 
forming an open, roundish head. 
The seedlings, as raised here, are 
abundantly supplied with small 
fibrous roots, which insures 
transplanting with safety. Ap- 
parently perfectly hardy in our 
Northern States, as I have heard 
FIG.85.JUGLANSSIEBOLDIANA110 complaluts of wintcrkilling 
of the young trees, although they are now widely dis- 
tributed and in considerable numbers, but none, so far 
as I have been able to learn, have reached a bearing age 
here in the Xorth. 

Mr. P. 0. Berckmans, of Augusta, Ga., in writing 
me under date of Dec. 3, 3 894, says: ''Last year we 
fruited Juglaiis Sieboldiana trees four years from the 
seed. Emit was produced in long clusters, and trees 
exceedingly ornamental, but this year these same trees 
were killed to the ground on the 26th of March, after 
they had set a crop of fruit and made a young growth of 
more than twelve inches. This untimely frost may not 
happen again in years, but it goes to show that many 
varieties of trees which are considered hardy further 
north, are sometimes destroyed here by sjmng frosts." 




THE AVALNUT. 239 

As these Japanese and Chinese walnuts are natives 
of cold climates they may be better adapted to the North- 
ern than SontLern States, but there is no locality en- 
tirely exempt from late spring frosts, as most farmers 
and fruit growers learned to their cost the past season. 
There can be little doubt of this species of walnut being 
the one described by Ehumphius under the name of /. 
Camiriiwi, and more fully later by Loureiro, as already 
noted ; but having come to us from Japan as Siebold's 
walnut, this name will answer as well as any other, even 
if it is not the proper one. 

Jugla:n'S cordiformis, Maxim. — In foliage and 
growth of tree this is almost, if not absolutely, identical 
with the last ; the difference observed 
is in the nuts, which are also pro- 
duced in pendulous clusters. The 
form of the nut is almost round 
(Fig. 86), rather blunt-pointed, but 
the shell is deeply and unevenly fur- 
rowed, and indented somewhat like 
our black walnut; the ridges, how- 
ever, are not as sharp. The speci- 
mens I have received from various ^^^ ^g juglans, 
sources are not as large as the Sie- cordiformis. 
bold, and the shell not quite as thick, but the kernel is 
small. I may note here that there appears to be some 
confusion in regard to this vai'iety or species, for in sev- 
eral nurserymen's catalogues this form of nut is figured 
as Siebold's, and the one that I have described under 
that name is called Cordiformis. The specimens re- 
ceived from California, Japan, and also from ]Mr. Berck- 
mans, corresjDond with the names here given, but further 
investigations may show that they should be reversed. 
The one I have received as Cordiformis is, doubtless, 
the nut described by Loureiro as /. Catappa, as an 
ovate-oblong nut, with a fibrous, leathery, reddish husk. 




240 THE KUT CULTURIST. 

While I do not suppose that these Oriental walnuts 
will eyer become of any considerable commercial yalne, 
they are worth planting for shade and ornamental trees. 
They are rather precocious, coming into bearing at an 
early age, and the nuts are not only edible, but will 
always be an acceptable addition to the unimportant 
although agreeable household supplies. 

Persian Walnuts. Juglans regia, Linn. Eoyal 
Walnut, Madeira Xut, English Walnut, French Walnut, 
Chile Walnut, etc. — Leaflets five to nine, oval, smooth, 
pointed, slightly serrate; fruit round or slightly oval; 
husk thin, green, of a leathery texture, becoming brittle 
and cleaving from the nut when ripe and dry; nut 
roundish-oval, smallest at the top ; shell smooth, with 
slight indentations, thin, two-valved, readily parting at 
the seams; kernel large, wrinkled and corrugated, the 
two lobes separated below with a thin, j^apery partition, 
but united at the top ; sweet, oily, and generally 
esteemed. 

This species has been in cultivation many centuries, 
and in different countries and climates, and under such 
yariable conditions that many of the varie- 
ties have departed widely from the normal 
type. There are now an almost innumer- 
able number of varieties, varyins^ s'reatly in 

FIG. 87. SMALL . ^ „ Ci 1 i j.1 

FKuiTED Size and lorm. !:5ome are not larger than a 
WALNUT, good-sized pea, as seen in the '''Small 
Fruited Walnut" (Fig. 87), while others are nearly as 
large as a man's fist, as in the thick-shelled or '' Gibbous 
Walnut" (Fig. 92), while in others the nut is greatly 
elongated, as in the ^'Barthere Walnut" (Fig. 88), and 
hundreds of other intermediate forms. There are also 
varieties that bloom early in spring, others late. Some 
are yery hardy, others quite tender in cold climates. 
There are also dwarf and tall-growing, as well as the 
precocious and tardy fruiting varieties. But yery few 




THE WALNUT. 241 

of these have ever been cultivated in our Eastern 
States, consequently little is known of their value 
here ; but more may be in the near future, when our 
horticulturists and farmers begin to plant nut trees as 
freely as they have other kinds, or are awakened to the 
fact that such trees can be made a source of pleasure 
and profit. 

Here in the Northern States our main dependence 
for hardy and productive trees of this species will be 
upon seedlings or cions from those acclimated specimens 
which have already been thoroughly tested and found to 
be both hardy and prolific. There are plenty of these, 
as I have stated elsewhere, and they are well worthy of 
attention and multiplication until something better is 
produced or discovered. In the meantime, the most 
promising European varieties could be imported and 
tested, although it is not probable that those originating 
in southern France and Italy would be of much value 
for planting in the latitude of New York city or north 
of it, but south of this line the chances of success 
would be somewhat greater ; and to escape injury from 
late spring frosts, the more elevated reoions are prefer- 
able to the lower and warmer anywhere in the Southern 
States. In anticipation of the question being asked, I 
will say that, at present, I do not know^ of any nursery- 
man in the Eastern States who propagates or imports 
named varieties of walnuts for sale. Of course, seed- 
lings of these are offered, but it is well known that there 
is but a remote chance of these coming true from seed. 
Even the little dwarf French walnut Prceparturiens, or 
Early Prolific, cannot be depended upon to produce 
dwarf or early bearing trees beyond the first generation 
from the nut, and these must be the product of grafted 
trees, to insure this much. The following list contains 
the names of only a few^ of tlie most noted varieties, the 
greater part having originated in Europe. 
16 



24. 



THE NVT CULTURIST. 




AiLANTUS-LEAVED WALNUT. See Oriental walnuts. 

Bakthere walnuts. See Fig. 88. — A very long 
nut, pointed at both ends. Shell thin ; kernel large and 
of excellent fla- 
vor. Named 
after M. Bar- 
there, a horti- 
culturist of 
Toulouse, 
France, who 
discovered i t 
growing among 

a number of fig. 89. chaberte. 
other trees ; consequently, its origin 
is a mystery. M. Barthere says that 
it is very productive, and even the 



FIG. 
BARTHERE WALNUT. 

seedlings of this va- 
riety begin to bear' 
very early. 

Chaberte. — 
An old standard 
French variety, of 
an oval shape ; me- 
dium size, with 
very full and rich 
flavored kernel 

(Jjlg. 89). ihe FIG. 90. CHILE WALNUT. 

tree buds and blooms late, therefore especially valuable 

in localities where late spring frosts are likely to occur. 

Chile walnut. — This name is given, in a general 

way, to all the walnuts received in our markets from 





THE WALNUT. 



2^3 



South America. The nuts are usually of good size, with 
a dark grayish shell ; thii) but firm, with plump kernels 
of excellent flavor. These nuts arrive in February and 
March. Many of the Chile walnuts have three valves 
(Fig. 90), instea'd of the normal two. Such freaks are 
occasionally found among the European varieties, also 
in the nafive hickories, but these tri-valved nuts appear 
to be very abundant among the Chile walnuts. 

Cluster walnut. Racemosa or Spicata. — De- 
scribed by Mr. Gillet as a variety of the Persian walnut, 
producing medium, thin-shelled nuts in long clusters of 
from eight to twenty-eight. He also says that he intro- 
duced it into this country, but from whence we are not 
informed. Lavellee (1877) records it as a variety of J. 
regia, under the name 
of racemosa, giving 
its synonym as Ju- 
glans Californica of 
the horticulturists. 
I have not found it 
mentioned elsewhere. 

Cut -L e AVE D 
walkut. — A variety 
with deeply cut 
leaves; very orna- 
mental, as seen in fig. 9i. 




CUT-LEAVED WALNUT. 



Fig. 91. Nuts quite small, but of good quality. 

Frakquette. — Another old standard French vari- 
ety, with large, elongated-oval nuts with a distinct point. 
Shell thin ; kernel large, and of rich flavor. The tree 
blooms late ; valuable for planting in the South. 

Gant or Bijou walnut. — A remarkable variety 
on account of its extraordinary size. The shell is thin, 
with rather deep furrows, those of the largest size being 
made into ladies' companions, where to stow away gloves 
or handkerchiefs, hence the name ^^Gant" walnut. 



24-i 



THE NUT CULTUEIST. 



The kernel, though, does not correspond to the size of 

the shell (Gillet). 

Gibbous walnut (Fig. 92). — This is a very large 

variety, supposed to be a hybrid, raised in France many 

years ago. It is of little value, as the shell is very thick 

and kernel small. 
Valuable mainly for 
its immense size. 

K A GH AZI. — 

This is supposed to 
be a variety of the 
Persian walnut, of 
fair size, with a very 
thin shell. The tree 
blooms very late in 
spring, and for this 
reason is recom- 
mended for localities 
where there is dan- 
ger from injury by 
frost. The tree is 
FIG. 92. GIBBOUS WALNUT. sald to bc a vcry 

rapid grower, and much more hardy than the general 
run of varieties of this species. I have been unable to 
learn its origin, but it has been planted quite exten- 
sively in California, and some of our Eastern nurserymen 
are offering the seedling trees for sale, but whether they 
will possess the merits of the original or not must be 
determined by experience. 

Large-fruited Prgeparturiens. — A sub-variety 
of the Pra3parturiens, originating with Mr. Felix Gillet 
of California. 

Late Prceparturiens. — Also originated with Mr. 
Gillet. Valuable because the trees bloom late in spring. 
ISTuts described as of medium size, but wdth full kernels 
of excellent quality. 




THE WALNUT. 



'Z4:0 



Mayette.— Very large (Fig. 93), witli a light-col- 
ored shell of moderate thickness. Kernel plump, read- 
ily extracted whole, as shown in Fig. 94, sweet, and a 





FIG. y3. MAYETTE. 



'IG. 94. KEKNEL (JF WALNUT. 



rich, nutty flavor. Tree blooms late and is yery prodiic- 
tiye. An old and standard French variety. 

Mesakge oe Paper-shell. — This nut has the 
thinnest shell of any variety known ; it derives its name 





FIG. 95. J. REGIA OCTOGONA. 



FIG. 96. CROSS SEf'TIOX. 



of Mesange from a little lark of that name, that goes to 
the kernel through the tender shell. Tree very produc- 
tive, and the kernel quite rich in oil. We do not, liow- 
ever, recommend the growing of this variety for market, 
on account of the thinness of the shell, which breaks off 



246 THE is"UT CULTURIST. 

too easily in handling the nuts, or even when they drop 
on the ground (Felix Grillet). 

■ Meylak walkut. — A French variety that orig- 
inated near the little village of of Meylan, in the vicin- 
ity of which it is quite extensively cultivated for home 
use and export. 

OcTOGONA. — Of uncertain origin, but very much 
resembles one of the Oriental species in the form and 
sculpture of the shell (Fig. 95). The shell is also very 
thick, as shown in the cross section (Fig. 96). Of no 
special value. 

Parisienne walkut. — Although this was named 
for the city of Paris it did not originate there, but in 

the South of France. It is a 
large and rather broad variety, 
with a firm but thin shell (Fig. 
97) and excellent flavored ker- 
nel. It is reported that this 
variety succeeds in California, 
also in the South wherever 
tried. The trees leaf out late 
in spring and are rarely in- 
jured by frosts, and are re- 
FiG. 97. PARisiENNE. mai'kably productive. 
Pr^parturiens. Precocious Dwarf Prolific. — A 
French variety of a dwarf habit, and the plants noted 
for bearing when very young. A correspondent of Tlie 
Garden (London, Eng. ), referring to this variety some 
years ago, says : *^^ It is precocious on account of the 
singular and exceptional fact that it is born almost an 
adult ; in fact, it is nothing uncommon to see a tree in 
its third year bearing excellent fruit." He does not say, 
however, whether he refers to seedlings or grafted 
plants, but we may presume the latter or those raised 
from layers, for cultivators who have experimented with 
seedlings have found that they possess a strong tendency 




THE WALXUT. 



247 



to revert to the original or tree form. This may not 
show itself very strongly in the first generation if the 
nnts are obtained from grafted trees of some age, Ijut in 
the second and third generation the early-fruiting and 
dwarf are usually entirely lost. The only certain way of 
securing the true variety is by grafting or layering, but 
it is to be feared that very few trees propagated by these 
modes are in cultivation, at least in the Eastern States, 
although nurserymen have been offering Praeparturiens 
walnut trees in their catalogues during the past fifty 
years. In one now before me, published in New York 
city in 1844, trees of this walnut are offered at one dol- 
lar each, or about what is charged for seedlings at the 
present time. As nothing is said in the catalogues about 
the mode of propagation, we infer that they are seed- 
lings, as grafted trees would be worth more than one 
dollar. The nuts of this dwarf 
walnut are of medium size, thin- 
shelled and of excellent flavor ; 
valuable for gardens of limited 
extent. 

Serotina. Late Walnut, St. 
John Walnut. — A very peculiar 
sort, inasmuch as it is the latest 
of all to bud and bloom in spring," 
and yet it pushes forward so rap- 
idly that the nuts are ripe with 
others in the fall. They are of medium size (Fig. 98), 
with a rather hard shell, but the kernel is plump and 
good flavored. The tree is very jDroductive, and sure to 
escape late spring frosts. 

Vtlmorin". — This is claimed to be a hybrid between 
some variety of J", regia and our native black walnut, 
J. nigra. Scarcely known outside of France. 

YouREY. — A new and sjolendid variety raised near 
Yourey, a small town in southeast France. It has much 




SEROTIXA OR 
ST. JOHN. 



248 THE I^UT CULTUEIST. 

the same shape and qualities of the Parisienne walnut 
(Gillet). 

Variegated walnut. — A handsome variety, with 
young branches covered with dark-green bark spotted 
with gray, and often striped longitudinally with yellow. 
The leaves resemble those of the common walnut ; the 
fruit is of a light yellowish-green streaked with darker 
green, and reminds one closely of certain varieties of 
pears which, in common with this variety, frequently 
have their young branches striped in a similar manner. 
Propagated by grafting or layers. IThe Garden.) 

Weeping walnut. — A tree with pendulous twigs 
and branches. Quite ornamental, but not especially 
valuable for its fruit. Hardy in England. 

In addition to those described, there are a large 
number of varieties, which may be worth importing 
and testing in this country, by those who may feel 
inclined to make experiments with these nuts. Prob- 
ably some of those highly extolled by earlier writers are 
now lost, but this cannot be determined until a care- 
ful search through the old European gardens has 
been made. 

Among the early-fruiting or precocious varieties we 
find an account of one raised by Anthony Carlisle, of 
England, as recorded in a paper read at a meeting of the 
Horticultural Society of London, March 3, 1812. Mr. 
Carlisle planted six nuts in March, 1802, these hav- 
ing been received from Mr. Thomas Weclgewood of 
BlandforJ. Six years later, or in 1808, one of the seed- 
lings bore and matured ten walnuts, and the next season 
(1809) upwards of fifty, and in 1810 one hundred and 
twelve, the tree at that age being nineteen feet seven 
and one-half inches high. Another variety, under the 
name of Highflyer walnut, is described in the Transac- 
tions of the same society. Vol. IV, 1822, p. 517. The 
nuts sent to the society were grown in the town of Thet- 



THE WALNUT. 249 

ford, and are described as a long oval, with a shell so 
very thin that the slightest pressure of the fingers 
crushes it. I find that this Highflyer walnut is men- 
tioned in the recently published '^Dictionary of Gar- 
dening," but whether obtainable in English nurseries or 
not we are left in doubt. 

I refer to these English varieties mainly to show 
that some of the very best and thinnest-shelled walnuts 
have been grown in cool climates, and are not confined 
entirely to the warm or semi-tropical, as many persons 
seem to suppose and even claim to be the fact. It is 
principally from these English walnuts, as they are usu- 
ally termed, that our hardy old-bearing trees, referred 
to elsewhere, have been produced, and, doubtless, many 
more will be, when we begin to pay some attention to 
this very valuable nut. It is also quite likely that wiien 
our horticulturists look about for choice acclimated 
varieties for propagation, they will be found right here 
in the grounds of next-door neighbors, and there may be 
no necessity of sending to Europe or elsewhere for either 
nuts or trees. 

At present there is much confusion and uncertainty 
in regard to the identity and nomenclature of both spe- 
cies and varieties of the walnut, and it must remain so 
until they are collected from all countries and climes, of 
which they are either natiye or into which they have 
been introduced, and when so collected, and fruiting 
specimens produce, it will not be difficult to classify 
and determine their synonyms. This will be an under- 
takiug scarcely to be expected of the individual nut cul- 
turist, but is within the legitimate line of the arboretum, 
and of public botanical gardens located in both cold and 
warm climates, thereby securing a division of labor, and 
at the same time avoiding the uncertainty of trying to 
produce practical results under uncongenial conditions 
and surroundings. 



250 THE NUT CULTUEIST. 

Husking Walnuts. — The liusks of nearly all the 
varieties of the Persian and Oriental walnuts part from 
tlieir shells freely when fully ripened and dried, but in a 
few varieties the husks are rather persistent, requiring 
force and friction for their removal. This may be ac- 
complished by placing them in bags and shaking, or in 
barrels and rolling, until the nuts are scraped clean. 
But the better way, where there is any considerable 
quantity of nuts to be operated upon, is to take a strong 
barrel or cask, and so arrange it on standards that it 
can be rapidly revolved with a crank attacked to one 
end. Of course, the cask must have its two heads left 
in j)lace, and an opening made in the side to admit the 
nuts and remove them when cleaned. Almost any man 
handy with tools can make such a cleaner and polisher 
in a few hours, and if stored in a dry place it will last 
for several years. With butternuts and black walnuts 
the husks are much tougher, and they should be thrown 
into heaps in the open air, and turned over occasionally 
until the husks become softened sufficiently to permit 
of their removal, in case they are to be sent to market. 
Ordinary threshing machines may be used for cleaning 
the husks from black walnuts, by removing about one- 
half the teeth, or enough to allow the nuts to pass 
through without breaking their shells. 

Most of the hickories drop from the husk, leaving 
the nut clean ; but in some varieties of the pecan the 
inner jiart of the husk adheres rather tenaciously, and 
they sell better if cleaned ; besides,, some have rather 
rough and thick shells, and a little scraping and polish- 
ing adds much to their appearance. The revolving cask, 
either worked by hand or other power, is an excellent 
implement for preparing these nuts for market, and if 
the husk is very persistent, a little dry sand thrown in 
will aid in cleaning and polishing. Sometimes these 
nuts are subjected to what is called the soapstone polish, 



THE WALNUT. 251 

leaving the shells very smooth, with a greasy feel. The 
French walnuts, which are extensively imported under 
the general name of Grenoble walnuts, are usually 
bleached with sulphur before they are shipped, and 
w^hile this adds nothing to the quality of the kernel, the 
sulphur is an excellent insecticide and fungicide, and 
may be of some use on that account; but otherwise it is 
likely to be more injurious than beneficial. As bleach- 
ing both walnuts and almonds is often insisted upon by 
dealers, I give the process suggested by Director Hilgard, 
of the California Agricultural Experiment Station, which 
he believes will prove more satisfactory than the one 
usually employed, and is as follows : 

^'The nuts, placed in small baskets (such as the 
Chinese use for carrying), are dipped for about five min- 
utes in a solution containing to every fifty gallons of 
water six pounds of bleaching powder and twelve pounds 
of sal soda. They are then rinsed with a hose, and 
after draining, again dipped into another solution con- 
taining one per cent of bisulphite of lime ; after the 
nuts have assumed the desired tint, they are again rinsed 
wdth water and then dried. Instead of the second dip- 
ping, the nuts may be sulphured (fumigated) for ten or 
fifteen minutes. The cost of fifty gallons of chlorine 
dip will be about forty cents ; the same bulk of the bisul- 
phite dip, probably considerably less. The time occu- 
pied in handling one batch (two dips) is from twelve to 
fifteen minutes." 

Insect Enemies. — The w^alnut is attacked by the 
same kinds of insects that infest the hickories, with, 
perhaps, a few exceptions; as, for instance, the bark 
beetles and the nut weevils. The leaves ai^pear to be 
more or less acceptable food for the caterpillars that 
feed on the hickories, and the same insecticides and 
means employed for destroying these pests on one will 
answer for the other. 



252 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 









THE WALNUT. 253 

The caterpillars of some of the smaller kinds of 
moths are, as a rule, far more destructive to the leaves 
than the larger, and their ravages often escape notice 
until it is too late for the use of preventives, or for their 
destruction with insecticides. 

Ever since I became connected with the Xew York 
city press, some thirty odd years ago, scarcely a season 
has passed during which one or more specimens of the 
Eegal walnut caterpillar {Citherofiia regalis), shown in 
Fig. 09, have not been received from some correspondent 
who had found them crawling down the stem or on the 
ground near a walnut tree. Such a large caterpillar 
would naturally attract the attention of almost any per- 
son, but to the timid its appearance is exceedingly fero- 
cious and repulsive, while to the entomologist it is a 
beautiful and interesting creature, and far more likely 
to be handled with care than injured. This caterpillar 
is of a green color, and transversely banded across each 
of the rings with pale blue. The head and legs are of 
an orange color, also the long spine or horns, with the 
points tipped with black. It is certainly very formid- 
able in appearance, but perfectly harmless, and may be 
handled with impunity. The parent moth (Fig. 100) 
has fore wings of an olive color, ornamented with small 
yellow spots and veined with red lines. The hind wings 
are orange-red, with two large irregular yellow patches 
before, and a row of wedge-shaped olive colored spots 
between the veins behind. Although this insect appears 
to be widely distributed over the country, and the cat- 
erpillars feed on the walnuts and occasionally on the 
hickory, it has never been known to be sufficiently nu- 
merous to attract any special attention. 



CHAPTEE IX. 

MISCELLAI^EOUS KUTS EDIBLE AJ^D OTHERWISE. 

Ill the following list of plants there are a few that 
in no way can be considered as related to the true nut- 
bearing trees and shrubs; but as the word '^ nut" has 
been attached as a prefix or affix in commerce, or else- 
where, they are admitted, even if for no other purpose 
than to designate their true position in the vegetable 
kingdom. For convenience, they are recorded in alpha- 
betical order, the most familiar of the common names — 
where there are more than one — being given precedence, 
the botanical or scientific following, with a brief descrip- 
tion, as my limited space will not permit of anything 
more extended. 

It is not claimed that this catalogue cf nuts is com- 
plete, but it is probably as near it as any heretofore 
compiled and published, and it may serve as the 
basis for a better and more extended one at some future 
time. 

AcoR:sr, or oak JsJJT. — The fruit of the oak, Quer- 
cus (Cupuli'ferce), monoecious, evergreen and deciduous 
trees and shrubs, with alternate and simple straight- 
veined leaves. A very large genus, of about two hun- 
dred and fifty species, mainly in the temperate region of 
the northern hemisphere. There are some forty species 
native of the United States. The nuts are, on the 
whole, rather too harsh and bitter flavored to be es- 
teemed or considered edible by civilized nations at the 
present day, but in former times some of the oak nuts 
were often an important article among the garnered food 

254 



MISCELLANEOUS NUTS. 255 

of the household. They were used — and are still, in 
some coiintries — boiled, roasted, and even ground and 
made into bread and cakes. They have also been used 
as a substitute for coffee, and for malt in making beer. 
Strabo says that in the mountains of Spain the inhab- 
itants ground their acorns into meal, and Pliny affirms 
that in his time acorns were brought to the table with 
the dessert, in Spain. Every student of English history 
is well aware of the importance of the acorn, not only 
as food for man, in Great Britain, in the time of the 
Druids, and later, but also for feeding swine, deer, and 
other wdld and domesticated animals. But with the 
advance of civilization and the production of better 
food, the oak nut ceased to be classed among the impor- 
tant culinary supplies. There are, however, a few spe- 
cies of the oak yielding nuts fairly edible in their raw 
state, and these are much improved by roasting. The 
best of those among our native species are to be found 
in the varieties of the white oaks of the North, and in 
the evergreen {Quercus virens) of the Southern States. 
But with so many far superior species of edible nuts, it 
is very doubtful if any of the oaks will ever be cultivated 
for their fruit. 

Australian chestnut. — The seeds of a large tree, 
native of Australia, the Castanospermum australe, the 
name of the genus being derived from Kastanon, chest- 
nut, and s])erma, a seed, because the seeds resemble, in 
size and taste, the common chestnut. But the tree 
belongs to the bean family (Legiominosece), and the seeds 
are produced in large, long pods. They are about an 
inch and a half broad, somewhat flattened, and of the 
color of a chestnut when ripe. They are roasted and 
eaten by the natives, bat are rather unpalatable to those 
who have been accustomed to something better in the 
way of edible nuts. These seeds are also known as 
^^Moreton Bay chestnuts." 



256 THE KUT CULTUEIST. 

Australia isT hazelnut. — The fruit of Macadamia 
ternifolia {Proteacece). There are two species, both 
evergreen trees or tall shrubs confined to eastern Aus- 
tralia. The fruit is a kind of drupe with a fleshy exte- 
rior, enclosing a hard shelled nut, not unlike a small 
walnut. The kernel, when mature, has a rich and 
agreeable flavor, much like but richer than the hazelnut, 
hence one of its local names, for it is also known as 
^^ Queensland nut.'' This nut tree would probably 
thrive in southern Florida, and in the warmer parts of 
California. 

BEiT In^ut. — Fruit of Moringa aiotera {Moringem). 
Small, unarmed trees ; only three species in the order, 
these inhabiting tropical Asia, northern Africa and the 
West Indies. The one producing the ben nuts grows 
from fifteen to twenty feet high, and is found in upper 
Egypt, Syria and Arabia. The seeds, — or nuts, as they 
are called, — are produced in capsules or seed-pods about 
a foot long, and w4iile not edible, an oil is expressed 
from them which is largely used in the manufacture of 
perfumery, and known in commerce as ben oil. Another 
species, the M. pterygosperma, or winged-seeded Mo- 
ringa, is known as the horse-radish tree, the bark of the 
roots being used as a substitute for horse-radish. 

Betel n^ut or piKAivra. — The fruit of a lofty palm, 
Areca Catechu {Palmacece). A native of Cochin China, 
the Malayan Peninsula, and adjacent islands. A slender- 
stemmed palm, with regular i^innate leaves and long, 
narrow leaflets. The fruit is produced on an erect, 
fleshy spike, each fruit about the size of a hen's egg, 
with a thick, fibrous rind or husk, enclosing a hard nut 
somewhat like an ordinary nutmeg. These are used by 
being cut into small pieces or slices, then rolled up in a 
leaf of the betel pepper {Piper betel), a little lime sprin- 
kled over it, and then chewed or held in the mouth, as 
practiced by those who use tobacco for chewing. This 



MISCELLATs^EOUS NUTS. 257 

habit of chewing the betel nut is said to be almost uni- 
versal among the Malayan races, all carrying a box con- 
taining the nnt leaf and lime. These nuts are shipped 
in large quantities to countries where they do not grow, 
and the habit of chewing tliem has spread enormously, 
of late years, and is likely to increase, as it has wdth 
tobacco ; and the effect upon the users is said to be 
very similar, although some authorities claim that the 
betel is the most injurious of the two, having a far more 
deleterious effect upon the teeth and gums. But this 
may be due to the use of the lime. Travelers in coun- 
tries where these nuts are in common use tell wonderful 
tales about the invigorating effects of the betel, and how^ 
their assistants and followers are enabled, by its use, to 
perform the most exhausting labor for days at a time, 
which, without it, would be impossible. We have no 
doubt that the users of tobacco will claim just as much 
for this narcotic weed, and probably could produce as 
many trustworthy witnesses in support of it. The betel 
is, like tobacco, a narcotic stimulant, and causes gid- 
diness in persons unaccustomed to it, excoriates the 
mouth, and is so burning that Western nations will be 
slow to adopt this Eastern habit. 

Bladdee kut. — A rather inappropriate name for 
the seed pods and small seeds of one of our common 
large deciduous shrubs, the Staijliylea trifolia. It is 
sometimes planted for ornament. The small white 
flowers are produced in hanging racemes, succeeded by 
large bladdery pods, hence its common name. 

Brazil iq"UT. — The fruit of BertJioUetia exceUa, a 
lofty tree of the myrtle family (MyrtacecB). The tree 
attains a height of from one hundred to one hundred 
and fifty feet, with stems three to four feet in diameter. 
The leaves are broad, smooth, and about two feet long, 
rather thick, and of the texture of leather. The fruit 
is produced mainly on the uppermost branches, and is 
17 



258 



THE NUT CULTUKIST. 



globular, four to six inches in diameter, with a brittle 
husk on the outside, and within this a hard, tough, 
woody shell, fully one-half inch thick, containing a large 
number of the closely packed, three-sided, rough nuts, 
about an inch and a half to two inches or over in length, 
as seen in Fig. 101. The kernels are yery white, solid 
and oily. When mature the fruit falls entire, and the 
natives of the countr}^ collect them, splitting the shells 
to obtain the nuts. An occasional entire fruit is sent to 
other countries, as a curiosity, 
or for the cabinet of some bota- 
nist. The Brazil nut is not 
only indigenous to Brazil, but 
also of Guiana, Venezuela (form- 
ing immense forests on the Or- 
inoco, where they are called 
Juvia), and southward on the 
Eio Negra and in the valley 
of the Amazon. In fact, the 
supply appears to be inexhaust- 
ible; the only difficulty is in 
getting the nuts from the for- 
ests to some point where they 
can be shipped out of the 
country. The principal export 
is from Para, but there are 
many smaller cities and towns 
where a load of these nuts may be obtained on short 
notice. A very superior oil may be obtained from the 
nuts, by pressure, but the principal use for them is for 
desserts and confectionery. They are always abundant 
in our city markets. 

Bread is'ut. — The fruit of a large tree, the Brosi- 
mum Alicastrum, of the bread fruit family {Artocar- 
pacece), native of the West Indies, but best known in 
Jamaica. The botanical authorities disagree in regard 




FIG. 101. BRAZIL KUT. 



MISCELLAXEOUS XUTS. 259 

to this sjDecies, some claiming that it is a large tree, with 
wood similar to mahogany ; others that it is only a small 
shrub, only five cr six feet high. It lias lance-shaped 
leaves, male and female flowers in globular heads, and 
usually on separate trees. The fruit is about the size of 
a plum, containing one seed or nut, which is only edi- 
ble after roasting. 

Buffalo nut. — See Oil nut. 

Butternut. — See Souari nut. 

Byzantium nut, — See Filberts, Chap. VI. 

Candle nuts. — A small evergreen tree, the Aleu- 
rites triloha of the spurgewort family {Eu2)horUacecB). 
It is a native of most warm countries of the East : India, 
Malay, southern Japan, and nearly all the islands of the 
Pacific ocean, and in some of these it is cultivated for 
the fruit, which is about two inches in diameter. In 
the center there is ^ hard nut, very oily, with the flavor 
of the walnut. The oil obtained from these nuts is in 
common use among the natives of the Polynesian islands. 
In the Hawaiian group the kernels are strung on a 
small, dry stick, which serves the purpose of a wick, 
and then one end lighted, as with an ordinary tallow 
or wax candle, hence probably the common name of 
candle nut. These nuts are said to be used in the 
same way in India. Large quantities of oil is also 
expressed from them, and used for various purposes, 
and occasionally small quantities are exported to Euro- 
pean countries. 

Cape chestnut. — The name of a beautiful ever- 
green ornamental tree, native of south Africa, and re- 
cently introduced into European gardens from the Cape 
of Good Hope, hence its common, and its specific sci- 
entific name, Calodendron capense. It belongs to the 
Rue family {RutacecB). The flowers are red, produced 
in long terminal racemes, the tree growing about forty 
feet high, and said to be one of the finest trees of that 



260 



THE KUT CULTURIST. 



part of Africa. It is now under trial in Florida. Why 
called a chestnut I have been unable to discoyer. 

Cashew i^ut. — A large shrub or small tree, native 
of the West Indies, and for this reason often referred to 
as the '''^Western Cashew/' or Anacardium occiclentale. 




FIG. 102. THE CASHEW NUT. 



It belongs to the Terebinth family {Anacardium), con- 
sequently is closely related to our native poison sumachs 
{Rhus). The tree is an evergreen, with entire feather- 
veined leaves ; flowers of a reddish color, very small, 



MISCELLANEOUS NUTS. 2G1 

sweet-scented, and produced in terminal panicles. Tlie 
fruit is kidney-shaped, and borne on a fleshy receptacle, 
and when ripe of reddish or yellow color. The nut 
proper is enclosed in a leathery covering, consisting of 
two layers, between which is deposited a thick, caustic, 
oily substance, exceedingly acrid ; but this is eliminated 
by heat, so that when the kernels are roasted they have 
a pleasant flavor and are highly esteemed for dessert. 
Some care is required in roasting these nuts, as the 
fumes given off during this operation cause inflamma- 
tion of the eyes. The nuts also yield an excellent oil, 
very similar to the best olive oil. Although originally 
found only in the West Indies, this nut is now "widely 
distributed throughout the tropical countries of the 
East ; in fact, naturalized in all hot climates, and is also 
under trial in southern Florida. 

Caucasian walnut. Winged walnut. — The 
winged fruit of Pterocarya fraxinifolia,, also known as 
P. Caucasica of nurserymen's catalogues. It belongs to 
the walnut family {Jitglandacece) , and is a tree growing 
thirty to forty feet high, somewhat resembling the com- 
mon ash {Fraxinus). It is a pretty, hardy, ornamental 
tree, thriving only in moist soils. Seeds on winged nuts 
produced in long, drooping racemes, but of no special 
value. Introduced into England from Caucasus in 1800, 
and now plentiful here in nurseries. 

Chestnut. — See Chapter Y ; also Horse-chestnut, 
and Moreton Bay, Tahiti and Water chestnuts. 

Chocolate nut ok bean. — The seeds of a small 
tropical tree, Tlieobroma Cacao, of the chocolate nut 
family {Sterculiacece). Indigenous to tropical America, 
but now cultivated more or less extensively in all hot 
climates. The tree grows from fifteen to twenty feet 
high, with long, pointed, smooth leaves. The flowers 
are small, yellow, and produced from the old wood of 
both stems and branches, succeeded by a pod-like fruit 



262 THE NUT CULTUKIST. 

six to ten or more inches long, containing fifty to a hun- 
dred seeds, resembling beans more than they do nuts. 
When the fruit is ripe it is gathered, at which time the 
seeds are covered with a gum-like substance, and to 
remove this they are subjected to a slight fermentation, 
after which they are dried in the sun, this giving them 
their usual brown color. Chocolate nut trees are exten- 
sively cultivated in Brazil, 'New Grenada, Trinidad, and, 
in fact, throughout tropical America, and their cultiva- 
tion is, upon the whole, very profitable, as the demand 
is almost unlimited. 

Cleakii^g i^UT. — This is an East India name for 
the seeds of Stryclmos potatoruin, a plant belonging to 
the well-known nux vomica family {LoganiacecB). It is 
a small tree, native of India, the wood of which is used 
for various purposes. The fruit is about the size of a 
cherry, and contains one seed ; this is dried, and used 
for clearing muddy water, this being effected by rubbing 
one of the little nuts around the sides of the vessel that 
is to be filled, after which the water is poured in, and 
then, through some unknown agency, all the foreign 
matter settles, leaving the liquid perfectly pure, clear 
and wholesome. 

CocOAi^UT. — One of the most widely-known and 
largest of edible nuts ; the product of Cocos nucifera, a 
lofty, tree-like palm {PalmcB or Palmacece). It is a 
native of tropical Africa,. India, Malay, and of nearly all 
the islands of the Indian and Pacific oceans. It only 
thrives near the seacoast or where the sea breezes reach 
it, requiring no special care after the nuts and young 
]3lants once become established in a congenial soil. The 
coco palm grows from fifty to one hundred feet high, 
with pinnate leaves from ten to twenty feet long. The 
nuts are produced in clusters of a dozen or more, and 
when full grown are somewhat triangular and a foot 
long, the outer coat or husk composed of a tough fiber. 



MISCLLLANEOUS XUTS. 263 

The nuts, when cleaned of their husks, are too well 
known to call for a further description here. In coun- 
tries where these nuts are ])lentiful, their contents 
form nearly the entire food of the natives, the milky 
fluid serving for drink, and the more solid parts as 
a substitute for meat and bread. The cocoanut is prob- 
ably utilized in more ways, and for a greater variety of 
purposes, than any other kind known, and it would 
require a volume to briefly enumerate them. Of recent 
years there have been plantations made of this nut on 
the coast of southern Florida, and one of the most 
extensive of these is by a man from New Jersey, but 1 
have not heard from him of late, or seen any reports 
as to the results of his experiments. It is reported 
that there are about 250,000 cocoanut trees now grow- 
ing in Florida. 

CocoAK"UT, Double. — This is the fruit of another 
lofty palm, Lodoicea Sechellarum, and is usually consid- 
eredL the largest member of the order. It is a native of 
the Seychelles islands, in the Indian ocean. It is said 
to reach a hight of a hundred feet, with a stem two feet 
in diameter. The fruit is a large, oblong nut, with a 
rather thin rind or husk, and when this is removed the 
nut appears to be double, or two oblong nuts firmly 
united, a kind of twin formation, the entire nut weigh- 
ing from thirty to forty pounds. These immense nuts 
are produced in bunches of eight to ten, the cluster 
sometimes weighing from three to four hundred pounds. 
It is supposed that these nuts require about ten years to 
grow and mature. They are useless as food, but the 
shells are manufactured into various useful articles by 
the natives, and they are also transported to other coun- 
tries and valued as curiosities. There is a great demand 
for the leaves of this palm for making hats, baskets, etc., 
and as the trees have to be cut down to obtain them, 
they are becoming rather scarce. 



264 THE XUT CULTURIST. 

Cola xut. Kola xut oe Goora xut. — The fniit 
of a small tree, native of the warmer parts of western 
Africa, and known to botaoists as Cola acuminata, and 
of the Sterculiad family {Stercidiacea:). In its native 
cotmtry it grows thirty to forty feet high. The leaves 
are oblong-elliptical, six to eight inches long, and pointed 
(acuminate), and from this it probably derived its spe- 
cific name. The flowers are yellow, and produced in 
axillary racemes, and succeeded by simple bean-like 
23ods, each containing several nut-like seeds, which the 
natives call cola or goora nuts. These nuts have long- 
been an article of trade among the native tribes of Africa, 
they being valued for their supposed efficacy in allaying 
thirst, promoting digestion, giving strength, and pre- 
venting exhaustion during the ]3erformance of hard man- 
ual labor. This tree was early introduced into the W>st 
Indies and Brazil, btit its reputation in Africa does not 
appear to have been sustained it its Western habitat. 

CoQuiLLA XUT. — The fruit of the Piassaba palm, 
Attalea funifera, a native of Brazil, where it grows 
about thirty feet high. The fruit is produced in 
bunches, and are each about three inches long, covered 
^-ith a thin rind. The nut is very hard, and is used as 
a substitute for bone and ivory in the manufacture of 
articles for the household. 

CoQUiTO XUT. — This is the fruit of the wing-leaved 
palm of Chile, Juhcea spectahilis. It is a moderately 
tall species, and closely resembles, in general habit, the 
date palm. The nuts are edible, but they are of sec- 
ondary importance, this palm being valued mainly for 
the sweet sap issuing from the stem when ctit down, 
this continuing to exude from it for weeks after it is 
severed from the roots. The sap is gathered and boiled, 
and when reduced to the consistency of molasses becomes 
an article of commerce, under the name of Meil de Palma 
or palm honey. 



MISCELLANEOUS NUTS. 2Gb 

Cream nut. — A local mime of Brazil nut. 

Dawa nut. — Sec Litchi nut. 

Earth nut, or earth cHESTNut, etc. — A small, 
low-growing, herbaceous plant of the carrot family 
( UmhelUfercB), common in waste or uncultivated grounds 
in Great Britain and other countries of northern Europe. 
Formerly botanists supposed there were two species, but 
of late only one, the Bitnium hulhocastanum. On the 
roots there are small, nut-like tubers, of a sweetisli taste, 
and they are eaten by children, either in the raw state 
or after being roasted. These tubers have various local 
names, and in addition to the above, they are called 
kipper nuts, and pig nuts in England, but a familiar 
local name in Scotland is lousy nuts, because it is said 
that eating them is sure to breed lice. But this story 
may have been invented by parents to deter their chil- 
dren from digging and eating the roots of wild plants. 
Willdenow, in naming this species, certainly recognized 
its edible qualities, and that children were fond of it, 
else he would not have called it an earth chestnut, — 
hiilho, bulb, and castamim from castanea, the chestnut. 

Elk nut. — See Oil nut. 

Fisticke nut. — See Pistacia nut. 

Fox nut. — The seeds of a floating, annual aquatic 
plant, the Euryale ferox, native of India, and belonging 
to the water lily family {Nymphceacece). It is a handsome 
plant, with leaves about two feet in diameter, of a rich 
purple on the underside, with thorn-like spines on the 
veins. Flowers deep violet-red. The seeds of this spe- 
cies are eaten by the natives, the same as the aborigines 
of this country gathered the seeds of our indigenous 
Nelumiium luteum, under the name of water chinquapin, 
using them for food in the late fall and winter. 

Ginkgo nut. — The large, round, white, somewhat 
flattened, nut-like seeds of the now common maidenhair 
tree, or Ginkgo liloha, also known as Salishuria adianti' 



266 THE NUT CULTUKIST. 

folia of some nurserymen's catalogues and many recent 
botanical works. The former, however, is the older 
and correct scieutific name. This tree is a native of 
China and Japan, and of a slender, sparsely branched 
habit, growing from fifty to eighty feet high in its natiye 
countries. It is a deciduous, cone-bearing {Co7iifercB) 
tree, with two-lobed, fan-shaped leaves two to three 
inches broad, divided about halfway down from the top. 
The male and female flowers are on separate trees, and 
to secure seed or nuts both sexes must be grown near 
together. The ginkgo was introduced into European 
gardens in 1754, and there are now many fruiting speci- 
mens, especially in France, from whence the nuts have 
long been secured for planting, by nurserymen and 
others interested in tree culture. There are very few 
bearing trees in this country, and one in Washington, 
D. C, has been fruiting for a number of years. In 
China and Japan the seeds or nuts are valued for their 
edible qualities, but they have a kind of disagreeable, 
balsamic taste in their raw state, although this is dis- 
pelled by roasting, after which they are quite sweet and 
palatable. As the trees do not begin to bear until of 
considerable age, and the nuts are inferior to many other 
kinds, I do not think the ginkgo will ever become very 
popular in this country as a nut tree. 

GooRA i^uT. — See Cola nut. 

GoRGON" KUT. — See Fox nut. 

Grou'N'DI^ut. — The small, globular tubers of the 
dwarf three-leaved ginseng, Ai^alia trifolia, are called 
groundnuts in some of our Northern States, and they 
are frequently sought for, dug up and eaten by children, 
as I know from j)ersonal experience. The plant belongs 
to the ginseng family {Araliacem) , and is closely related 
to the true five-leaved ginseng {Aralia qtii?iquefoUa), 
but our groundnut has only three leaves, instead of 
five ; besides, it is a somewhat smaller plant, rarely more 



MISCELLANEOUS NUTS. 267 

than six to eight inches liigh. When the scattered seed 
sprout in spring, they send down a long, slender, thread- 
like rootstock, to a depth of from four to six inches, and 
at the bottom of this the small tuber is produced. It 
has a somewhat pungent taste, but this only whets the 
appetite of a boy when on a hunt for ground nnts. 

Groundnut. — The tubers of one of the most widely 
distributed climbing plants of the Eastern States, and 
common in low, Avet grounds almost every where, from 
Canada to Florida, and westward to the Mississippi. 
This plant is described in most of the botanical works 
of the present day under the name of Ajnos tuherosa, 
and it belongs to the Pulse family (LegttminoscB), and 
is closely related to the common and well-known wista- 
rias, although much smaller and of a more slender habit. 
It is a smooth, perennial, twining yine, with pinnate 
leaves, and dense racemes or clusters of small brownish- 
purple pea-sliaped flowers. The subterranean rootstocks 
bear long strings of edible tubers, from one to two inches 
long, and from an inch to an inch and a half in diam- 
eter, somewhat variable in shape, dark brown on the 
outside, but white within. When boiled or roasted 
these tubers have a rich, farinaceous, nutty flavor. 
This tuber or groundnut is the one described by Mr. 
Thomas Herriot, the historiographer of Sir Walter 
Ealeigh's expedition to Virginia in 1585, under the In- 
dian name of '^Openawk.^' He says: ^^ These roots 
are round, some as large as walnuts, others much larger ; 
they grow in damp soil, many hanging together, as fixed 
on ropes; they are good food, either boiled or roasted.'' 
These tubers are to be found in the swamps and damp 
soils of Virginia at this day, just as they were at the 
time of Herriot's visit, but many modern historians have 
tried to make out that Ealeigh's colonists found our 
common potato among the Indians at that time, although 
I have never been able to find a scrap of trnstwortliy his- 



268 THE XUT CULTUEIST. 

tory to support such a claim^ or that Ealeigh himself 
ever planted or cultivated the American potato in Ire- 
land or England, or, in fact, ever tasted one of these 
tubers. 

GROUS'D:sruT. — See Peanut or Groober. 

Hazelnut, oe Chile hazel. — This is merely a 
local English name for the fruit of a small evergreen 
tree, native of Chile, S. A., where it is known as Guevina, 
and this has been adopted as the name of the genus, 
adding the specific name of the European hazel, so we 
have Guevina Avellana, although in some botanical 
works it may be found under the name of Qudria lietero- 
phylla. It belongs to the Protea family [Proteacece). 
It has white, hermaphrodite flowers, in long axillary 
racemes ; these are succeeded by coral-red fruit about 
the size of a large cherry ; the stone or nut-like seeds 
being edible are largely used by the Chileans. They are 
said to taste like the hazel, hence the name. Trees are 
hardy in the southwest of England, and would probably 
succeed here in the Southern States. It has been 
planted and found to thrive in California. Eeadiiy 
propagated from seed or green cuttings under glass. 

Horse-chestnut. — The fruit of a genus of decid- 
uous ornamental trees and shrubs, native of Asia and 
North America. The common horse-chestnut, or u^a- 
culus Hippocastanum, is a native of Asia, and was intro- 
duced into Europe over three liundred years ago, its 
large, smooth seeds and prickly husks probably suggest- 
ing both its common and scientific names, although 
these trees do not even belong to the same order as the 
true edible chestnuts {Castanea), but to the soapworts 
{Sapindacece). It is supposed that the prefix, '^ horse," 
was derived from a custom among the Turks, of giving 
the nuts to horses as a medicine when these animals 
were afflicted with a cough or inclined to become wind- 
broken. In southern Europe they are sometimes fed to 



MISCELLANEOUS KUTS. 2G9 

COWS to increase the flow of milk, and at one time they 
were employed for making joaste for book binders. 
They are scarcely edible, although containing consider- 
able farinaceous matter, owing to the presence of a bitter 
narcotic principle. Our native species, better known as 
Buckeyes, with both smooth and i:)rickly fruit, are 
equally worthless as food. 

Iyort nut. — There are two species of palms pro- 
ducing nuts hard enough to be employed as a substitute 
for ivory, in the manufacture of small articles of domes- 
tic use. But the one best known to commerce under 
the name of ivory nut is the fruit of Phytelejjhas macro- 
carpa, native of New Granada and other jDarts of Central 
America. This palm is a low-growing and almost de- 
cumbent species, the stem seldom more than six to eight 
inches in diameter ; bat the leaves are of immense length, 
or from fifteen to twenty feet, growing in bundles, or 
clusters. The fruit consists of about forty nuts, en- 
closed in a rough, spiny husk, of a globular form, pro- 
duced on a short footstalk growing from the axis of the 
leaves, the whole bunch weighing from twenty to thirty 
pounds. They are two inches long, slightly triangular, 
and covered with a thin, pulpy coat, which becomes 
dry, papery and brittle when thoroughly dried, but 
when in its green state it is sometimes utilized by the 
natives for making a favorite beverage. The ripe nuts 
are very solid, hard, and when polished resemble ivory. 
Immense quantities of these nuts are imported into this 
country, as Avell as Europe, and used as a substitute for 
bone and ivory for making buttons, toys, and similar 
small articles. 

Jesuit chestnut. — See Water chestnut. 

JiCARA NUT. — A local name, in some of the Cen- 
tral American States for the Calabash {Cresoentia Ciijete). 
A low-growing, rather rough tree, with simple leaves, 
usually three growing together on a broad leafstalk. 



270 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

The fruit is extremely variable, both in size and form, ; 
but mainly globose, and two to four inches in diameter. 
The shell is very hard, and largely used for drinking 
cups, and these are sometimes highly ornamented on 
the outside. The kernel is scarcely edible, but is used ; 
by the natives as a medicine. 

JuBA NUT. — See Coquito nut. 
JuviA NUT. — See Brazil nut. 
Kipper nut. — See Earth chestnut. 
LiTCHi NUT OR LEECHEE NUT. — I am inclined to 
think that the affix of '^nut" to this Oriental fruit is 
an Americanism, and not used elsewhere. There are 
three distinct species of this fruit known among the 
Chinese, under the name of Litchi, Longan or Long- 
yen, and Rambutan, all the prod- 
uct of the Nepheliums, a genus 
of the soapberry family {Sapin- 
dacece). By some of the earlier 
botanical works the litchi is placed 
either in the genus Dimocarpus 
or Euplioria. Within the past 
FIG. 103. LITCHI OR ^^w ycars this fruit has appeared 
LEECHEE NUT. jn Qur markcts, in consequence 

of the increased trade with Oriental countries, and facili- 
ties for rapid transit across the continent. The litchi is 
a globular fruit, about one inch in diameter (Fig. 103), 
with a tliin, chocolate-brown colored shell covered with 
wart-like protuberances. When fresh the shell is filled 
with a white, jelly-like pulp, in the center of which 
there is one rather large, smooth brown seed. The pulp 
is of a most delicious sub-acid flavor, but it is often 
rather dry and stale in the nuts which reach us from 
China and Japan. The tree producing this fruit is sel- 
dom more than twenty-five feet high, with rather sturdy 
twigs and branches, the leaves composed of about seven 
oblong pointed leaflets. This is said to be one of the 




MISCELLANEOUS NUTS. 271 

most popular of Oriental fruits, and the trees would 
probably succeed in many of the Southern States and in 
California. It is now on trial in Florida, having been 
introduced there in 1886. It has been fruited in Eng- 
land many times, but always under glass, wlicre the 
plants receive protection and artificial heat. A full 
description of this species, accompanied by a superb col- 
ored plate of the Nephelium or Dimocarpus Longana, ap- 
peared in the ^^Transactions of the London Horticultural 
Society," 1818, p. 402. There are not only a large num- 
ber of species of the Nepheliums bearing edible fruit, 
but, as might be expected from their long and extensive 
cultivation, many local varieties, especially in the south- 
ern provinces of China and throughout the islands of 
tropical Asia. The Dawa of the Fiji islands is the fruit 
of N. pinnatuMy a tree growing sixty feet high, and 
forming extensive forests on those islands. At some 
future time we may be receiving the dawas under the 
name of Fiji nuts. 

Lousy nut. — See Earth chestnut. 

Marking nut. — The seeds of Semecarpus Anacar- 
diiim, an evergreen tree of the cashew-nut family {Ana- 
cardiacece), native of tropical Asia, and especially Cey- 
lon. It has large, oblong leaves, and grows about fifty 
feet high, and the fruit is produced on a fleshy recepta- 
cle. The natives roast and eat these nuts, and the black 
juice obtained from the green fruit is used for marking 
cloth, hence the common name. The juice is also mixed 
with lime to make an excellent indelible ink, also for a 
kind of varnish. 

MiEiTi nut or it a. palm nut, — These are the 
Indian names of the fruit of a lofty palm tree, the 2fau- 
ritia fiexuosa, of the swamps along the Orinoco river, 
also in wet soils at higher elevations. This giant palm 
grows to a hight of a hundred and fifty feet, with an 
immense crown of large, fan-shaped leaves, and just 



272 THE Is^UT CULTUEIST. 

beneath these the frnit appears in a pendulous cluster 
eight to ten feet long, containing several bushels, weigh- 
ing, altogether, from one to three hundred pounds. 
The individual nuts are about the size of an ordinary 
apple, with a very smooth shell, somewhat veined or 
streaked. The natives of the country not only use the 
farinaceous kernels of these nuts as food, but obtain a 
saccharine material from the pith, out of wiiich they 
make wine by fermentation. The petioles of the leaves 
also furnish them with a strong fiber, used as thread- 
cord, and for various other purposes. 

Moreto:n' Bat chestj^ut. — See Australian chestnut. 

MoNKET-POT i^UT. — See Sapucaia nut. 

Mtb,obalak K'UT. — This name is aj)plied rather 
indiscriminately to the fruits of several species of the 
genus Terminalia, which are, in the main, large trees of 
the Myrobalan family {Comhr^etacece). They are native 
of India, Malay, Fiji, and, in fact, almost all the islands 
of the Pacific in warm latitudes. The fruits are similar 
to large plums, but slightly angular, containing a hard, 
nut-like seed. They are used principally for tanning- 
leather, and also for making ink similar to that made 
from oak galls. The kernels of all the species are edi- 
ble, and are eaten by the natives. In the Fiji islands 
the Terminalia Catapioa is a favorite tree with the natives, 
and they plant it near the houses. The kernels of this 
species have the flavor of the sweet almond. 

NiCKAR KUT. — The seeds of two species of Guilan- 
dina, a genus of the bean family {Leguminosce). They 
are climbing plants, with hard-wooded, prickly stems, 
forming almost impenetrable- thickets near the seacoast 
in the East Indies and other tropical countries. They 
have become widely distributed, as the pods readily float 
when they drop into the water. The pods are about 
three inches long, very prickly, containing seeds or nuts 
about the size of small marbles, and exceedingly hard ; 



MISCELLANEOUS KUTS. 273 

but in time the water softens them, after which they 
sprout and grow when cast ujion the shore by the waves. 
The two species are distinguished mainly by the color of 
the nuts, those of G. Bonduc being yellow, and those of 
G, Bonducella gray, or with a reddish tint. Of no yalue 
or use except as botanical curiosities. 

ISiTTA OR NUTTA NUT. — The natiyc African name 
of the seed« of Parkia Africana, a tree of the sensitive- 
tree section of the bean family (Leguminosce). It grows 
about forty feet high, and has compound winged leaves. 
It has become naturalized in the West Indies. The 
pods grow in clusters, the seeds imbedded in a yellowish, 
sweet pulp, like the carob or St. John's bread, and the 
negroes are very fond of them. In the Soudan the seeds 
are roasted, and then allowed to ferment in water until 
they are soft and putrid, after which they are washed, 
pounded and dried, then made up into cakes to be used 
as a sauce for different kinds of food. It is supposed 
that the African traveler, Mungo Park, first brought 
these seeds or nuts to the notice of Europeans, and 
Kobert Brown named the genus Parhia in his honor. 

Nutmeg. — A name applied to the fruits of a large 
number of trees, and of different orders of plants. The 
true nutmegs of commerce are the fruits of trees belong- 
ing to the genus Myristica, and of the family Myristi- 
cacecB. The oldest and best known of these is the M. 
fragrans, a small, widely branching tree, growing 
twenty to twenty-five feet high, and" supposed to be 
indigenous to the Indian Archipelago. The fruit is 
about the size of an ordinary walnut, with a thick rind, 
which, upon opening, at maturity, discloses a reddish 
aril covering the nut within. This aril or husk is the 
mace of commerce, while the true nutmeg is the center 
or hard seed (nut). The Brazil nutmeg is longer than 
the true species, and is sold under the name of long nut- 
meg, and is the fruit of M. fatua. Another species, the 
18 



274z THE is^UT CULTUEIST. 

M. otoha, is cultivated in Madagascar, but is scarcely 
known in commerce. 

Anotlier species, the M. sehifera, is a common tree 
in tlie forests of Guiana, North Brazil, and up into 
Panama. It is utilized principally for the oil extracted 
from the nuts, obtained by macerating them in water, 
the oil rising to the surface, and as it cools skimmed off. 

The seeds of several species of conifers and laurels 
are known, either locally jor in commence, as nutmegs, 
or are used as a substitute for the true nutmeg. There 
are three different kinds of trees, native of Guiana, in 
addition to the one already named, the seeds of which 
are employed as a spice or medicine. One of these is 
the Acrocliclidium camara. These nuts are known in 
commerce as *^Ackawai nutmegs," and are used mainly 
as a cure for diarrhoea and colic. Another is the seed 
of the Aydendron Cujumary tree, and they are known 
in commerce as *'^ Cujumary beans," although they are 
not, strictly speaking, a bean, and the same is true of 
the so-called ^^Puchurim beans," from the same country, 
for they are the fruit of Nectandy Pucliiiry, a small tree 
of the laurel family. They are used as a tonic, and con- 
sidered highly stimulating. 

Clove Nutmeg, or Madagascar nutmeg of com- 
merce, is the fruit of Agatliopliyllum aromaticum, a 
small evergreen tree, indigenous to Madagascar. 

Brazilian Nutmegs are the highly aromatic seeds 
of Cryptocarya moschata, or At'he7'osperma moschata of 
some botanists. It is a lofty tree, native of Brazil. The 
aromatic nuts are used as a substitute for nutmegs, but 
are very inferior to the genuine. 

Peruvian Nutmeg, or Plum Nutmeg. — The seeds 
of a large evergreen tree with aromatic foliage, like our 
common sassafras, and for this reason is sometimes 
called Chilean or Peruvian sassafras. The seeds are of 
no more economic value than those of our native sassa- 



MISCELLANEOUS NUTS. :^T5 

fras. It is known under various botanical names, but 
Laurelia semjmrvirens is, perhaps, the most familiar. 

California Nutmeg, or Stinking Nutmeg, is the 
nut-like seed of Torreya Californica, a small tree of 
the yew family (^Taxacece). The fruit is from an inch 
to an inch and a half long, with a fleshy rind enclosing 
a hard, long nut, which is slightly grooved like a nut- 
meg. The fruit, leaves and wood are strongly pcentcd, 
hence the name of '^^ stinking nutmeg," or ^'^ stinking 
yew." Another species, the T. taxifolia, is a native of 
Florida. 

Oil nut. — The fruit of a low-branching, deciduous 
native shrub, growing three to ten feet high, with alter- 
nate leaves and small greenish flowers in terminal spikes. 
It is the Pyridaria oleifera of Gray, and Hamiltonia 
oleifera of Muhlenberg. The fruit is in the form of a 
pear-shaped drupe, about an inch long, the small seed 
or nut with an oily kernel of strong acrid taste ; of no 
value. This shrub is found on shady banks in the 
mountains of Pennsylvania, and southward into Georgia. 

Paradise nut. — See Sapucaia nut. 

Pea^^ut, groundnut, goober. — The well-known 
fruit of ArarJiis liyi:)og(Ea, a low-growing annual belong- 
ing to the pulse or pea family {Leguminosce) , supposed 
to be a native of South America, but now extensively 
cultivated in nearly all semi-tropical countries and 
wherever the summers are long enough to insure the 
ripening of the seeds. Extensively cultivated in Vir- 
ginia, south and westward. Too well known to require 
any further comment or notice here. 

Pecan nut.— See Chap. VII. 

Pekea nut. —See Souari nut. 

Peruvian nut. — See Nutmegs. 

Physic nut. — The seeds of Jatropha Curcas, a 
small tree of the spurge wort family {Eupliorhiacece). It 
is native of some of the West Indies and warmer parts 



276 THE NUT CULTUHIST. 

of South America, but now cultivated in other tropical 
countries for its seeds, which yield an oil used for the 
same purposes as castor oil, but rather more powerful 
and drastic. The seeds have a nutty flavor, but are 
rather dangerous if eaten in any considerable quantities, 
and death has been known to follow excess in this 
direction. 

Physic nut. — In '^Bartram's Travels," he refers 
to a seed or nut of a plant he found growing in Florida 
under this name, p. 41, as follows: " . . . some 
very curious new shrubs and plants, particularly the 
physic nut or Indian olive. The stems arise, many from 
a root, two or three feet high ; the leaves sit opposite, 
on very short petioles ; they are broad, lanceolate, entire 
and undulated, having a smooth surface, of a deep green 
color. From the bosom of each leaf is produced a sin- 
gle oval drupe, standing erect on long slender stems ; it 
has a large kernel and thin pulp. The fruit is yellow 
when ripe, and about the size of an olive. The Indians, 
when they go in pursuit of deer, carry this fruit with 
them, supposing that it has the power of charming or 
drawing that creature to them, from whence, with 
traders, it has obtained the name of physic nut, which 
means, with them, charming, conjuring or fascinating." 

To what kind of fruit Bartram referred under the 
name of ^* physic nut," is not certain, but his descrip- 
tion of the plant comes very near that of the American 
olive {Olea Americana), but the fruit of this and other 
closely allied plants of the same family are not '^yellow" 
when ripe, but purple. 

Pignut, or hognut. — See chapter on Hickory. 

Pine nut. — A name applied indiscriminately to 
the many species of pine trees {Pinus) bearing seeds 
large enough to be conveniently used as food. In south- 
ern Europe, and especially in Italy and the south of 
France, the seeds of the stone i^ine [Pinus Pinea) have 



MISCELLANEOUS NUTS. 



277 



been extensively used as food, from the earliest times 
down to the present day. Nearly all the ancient authors 
refer to them as among the valuable products of the 
countr}. Macrobius, in his story of the Saturnalia, 
speaks of the cones as Nuces vel Poma Pinea. Tliese 
pine nuts are called Pinocclii in Italy and Sicily, and 
occasionally a few reach this country, where the Italiun 
name has been corrupted into Pmolas. These seeds or 
nuts are used for desserts, puddings and cakes, also 
eaten raw at table, 
as with almonds. 
They have a slight 
taste of turpentine, 
but it is not strong 
enough to be at all 
disagreeable. 

In this country 
we have several na- 
tive species bearing 
very large edible 
seeds, and they are 
known in the West 
under the general 
name of Pinon, or 
nut pines. The 
best of these nuts, 
to my taste, are the 
seeds of Pinus 
edulis, so named 
by the late Dr. Engelmann, because of its large, sweet 
and edible seeds. It is a small, low-growing tree, more 
or less common on dry hills and slopes, from Colorado 
southward through New Mexico, and into western 
Texas. The seeds of Pinus Parry ana and Piyius cem- 
broides, of Arizona and Lower California, are also called 
Pinons, and largely gathered by the Indians. Farther 




FIG. 104. BRAXCH OF NUT PINE. 



278 THE NUT CULTURIST. 

east and nortli we find the one-leaved pine {Pinus mono- 
phylla), and although the seeds are much s-maller than 
those of P. edulis, they were formerly gathered in im- 
mense quantities by the Indians^ to help eke out their 
often scanty winter store of food. Occasionally a small 
quantity of these pine nuts is sent to Eastern markets, 
but rarely, unless ordered early in the season. The trees 
of P. edulis and P. monopliylla are perfectly hardy here, 
and worth cultiyating for ornument, as well as their 
nuts, although their slow growth is a rather severe test 
of one's patience. Fig. 104 shows a Pinon branch. 

Pistachio nut. — Historically, this is a very ancient 
nut, for Bible commentators claim that it is the one sent 
by Jacob into Egypt. It is the fruit of a small, decid- 
uous tree of the cashew family {^Anacardiacece), a native 
of western Asia, but many centuries ago it had become 
naturalized in Palestine and throughout the Mediterra- 
nean regions. It has shining evergreen winged leaves, 
and the bark on the young twigs is brown, becoming 
russet-colored with age. There are several different 
species, but the one producing the nuts of commerce is 
the Pistacia vera^ having brownish-green flowers in 
loose panicles, and these are succeeded by bunches of 
reddish fruit, about an inch long, with an oblique or 
bent point. The nuts have a double shell, the outer 
one usually red, the inner one smooth and brittle ; the 
kernel is pale green, sweet, and of rather pleasant taste. 
There are a number of varieties, differing only slightly 
in form and size. This nut has been cultivated spar- 
ingly in Great Britain since 1570, but the climate is not 
quite warm enough to insure its ripening in the open 
air. It would probably succeed throughout the greater 
part of California, as well as in the extreme Southern 
States, but Mr. Berckmans writes me that it is not 
hardy in his grounds at Augusta, Ga. There is a species 
of pistacia known as P. Mexicana, found in central 



MISCELLANEOUS NUTS. 



279 



Mexico, and extending as. fur north as San Diego, in 
California, according to the report of Dr. Cooper (Bot- 
any of California, Vol. I, p. 109). 

QuANDANG NUT. — A medium size Australian tree, 
the Santalum acuminatum, of the sandalwood family 
(SantalacecB). It produces a plum-like fruit, which is 
best known in. its native country as the quandang nut. 
It is used as a preserve, but is little known, except in 
or near its native habitats. 

Queensland nut. — See Australian hazelnut. 

Sapucaia nut. — The Brazilian name of, at least, 
two species of large forest trees growing in the valley of 
the Amazon and its tributaries. 
The best known of these is the 
LecytMs Zahucajo, a lofty tree of 
the myrtle family (Myrtacece). It 
is closely allied to the more com- 
mon Brazil nut of commerce. The 
sapucaia nuts are produced in an 
urn-shaped, woody capsule, which 
has received the name of Monkey- 
pot, because when these capsules 
ripen the lid at the top is suddenly 
liberated, emitting a sharp sound, 
which, as heard by the monkeys, 
gives them notice that the nuts are 
falling, and that the first on the 
ground becomes the fortunate pos- 
sessor of the largest number. The 
capsules or pots are about six 
inches in diameter, and the lid opening at the top about 
two inches. The nuts, wdiich are packed very closely in 
the shell, are about one inch in diameter, and two to 
three in length, with a thin, browm, and very much 
wrinkled and twisted shell (Fig. 105). The kernel is 
white, sweet, oily, and somewhat more delicate in flavor 




FIG. 105. PARADISE OR 
SAPUCAIA >UT. 



280 THE KUT CULTUEIST. 

than that of the common Brazil nut. In New York 
city these nnts are sold under the name of Paradise 
nuts. But this is probably only a local name, for I 
have been unable to find it in any botanical work. 
These nuts rarely come to this country in any consid- 
erable quantities ; a few hundred pounds at a time would 
be considered a large consignment. 

Sassafras nut. — See ISutmeg, Chilean. 

Sassafras i^ut. — See Nutmeg, Puchury. 

Si^AKE NUT. — A large, roundish fruit, about the 
size of the black walnut, the product of the OpMocaryon 
yaradoxiim, a large tree of the soapberry family [Sapin- 
dacecB), natiye of British Guiana. This nut takes its 
name of ^^ Snake nut," from the peculiar form of the 
embrj^o of the seed, which is curled up spirally. The 
Indians, thinking there must be some virtue in form, 
use these nuts as an antidote for snake bites, altliough, 
so far as known to science, they do not possess any 
medicinal properties. 

SouARi NUT, OR BUTTERNUT. — TMs nut, like the 
last, is a native of British Guiana, and is the fruit of the 
Caryocar nuciferum, a noble tree, growing a hundred 
feet high, having large, broad, trifoliate leaves, resem- 
bling those of our common horse-chestnut, but not 
quite as broad. The flowers are very large, and, with 
the tube, fully a foot long, of a deep purple on the out- 
side, and yellow within. They are comjoosed of five 
thick, fleshy pitals, and as showy as some of our best 
and brightest-colored magnolias. The flowers are pro- 
duced in terminal clusters or corymbs, succeeded by a 
large, round, four-celled fleshy fruit five to six inches in 
diameter ; but as some of the embryo nuts usually fail 
to grow, it changes the form of the fruit as it enlarges 
towards maturity, and only one or two of the nuts ma- 
ture and ripen, very much as frequently occurs in both 
the «weet and lior?o-chcstnutG. The nuts are affixed to 



.MISCELLANEOUS KUTS. '^6i 

a central axis, and are of a rounded, subreniform shape, 
and even flattened to an almost sharp edge on one side, 
and broadly truncate at the scar (hiliim) where tliey are 
attached to the pericarp or central axis. The shell is of 
a deep brown color, embossed, as it were, with smooth 
tubercles. They are from two to two and a half inches 
or more in their broadest diameter, as shown in Fig. 106. 
The kernel or meat is pure white, soft, rich and oilv, 



FIG. 106. SOUARI NUT. 



with a pleasant flavor. This nut is a rarity in our mar- 
kets, and Mr. H. R. Davy of New York, to wliom I am 
indebted for a specimen, as well as other rare kinds, 
assures me that in his forty-five years' experience as a 
dealer in foreign fruits and nuts, he has never known of 
but one lot, and that one consisted of about one-half 
bushel, brought into his store by a sailor, who only knew 



282 THE I\UT CULTUmST. 

tlieir common South American name. These nuts are 
more frequently seen in European seaports than in those 
of this country. 

South Sea chestnut. — See Tahitian chestnut. 
Tahitiak chest:n"ut. — The seeds of a tree known 
in the South Sea islands by the native name of Toi, but 
to botanists as Inocarpus edulis. It belongs to the bean 
family [Leguminosce). The tree grows sixty to eighty 
feet high, and when young the stems are fluted lil^e a 
Grecian column, but as they increase with age the pro- 
jections extend outward, until they form a kind of but- 
tress all around the lower part, gradually decreasing 
upward. This so-called chestnut tree has yellow flowers, 
succeeded by fibrous pods containing one large seed or 
nut, which, when roasted or boiled, resembles the chest- 
nut in taste. The nuts have a different local name in 
almost every one of" the Pacific islands where it is at all 
abundant. 

Tavola nut. — See Myrobalan nut. 
Tallow nut. — A local and nearly obsolete name 
for the fruit of the Ogeechee lime or sour gum tree 
{Nyssa capitata) of the swamps of Florida, Georgia and 
westward. The fruit is about an inch long, resembling 
a small plum, the pulp having an agreeable acid taste. 
Bartram, p. 94, refers to this fruit under the name of 
^' Tallow nut,*' but why so called is not explained. 

Tallow nut. — The fruit of the Chinese Tallow 
tree, SUUingia sehifera, of the spurgewort family 
{EupliorMacem), a native of China, where it is, as well 
as in some of the warmer parts of America, extensively 
cultivated. It has been planted in a few localities in 
the Southern States, and appears to thrive. It is a 
small tree thirty to forty feet high, with rhomboid 
taj^ering leaves and a three-celled capsuled fruit, each 
cell containing only a single seed thickly coated with a 
yellow, tallow-like substance, hence its common name. 



MISCELLANEOUS KUTS. 283 

This tallow or grease is used for making soap, burning 
in lamps, and also for dressing cloth. 

Tempeeance nut. — An English name of cola nut. 

Torre Y nut. — The hard, nut-like seeds of Torreya 
nucifera, of Siebold, or Taxus nucifera, of Ksempfer, 
and Caryotaxus nucifera, of Zuccarini, a tree native of 
Japan, where these nuts are eaten by the Japanese, 
either raw or roasted. An oil is also extracted from the 
nuts, for use in cooking or for burning in lamps. Tliis 
Japanese tree belongs to the same genus as the so-called 
California nutmeg (see Nutmeg) and our Florida stink- 
ing cedar {T. taxifolia), also the great Chinese cedar 
{T. grandis). 

Water chestnut. — Also known as water caltrops. 
The seeds of several species of water plants of the genus 
Traj^a, of the 
evening prim- 
rose family 
i^OnagracecB). 
In southern 
Europe and 
eastward there 
is a species 
found in ponds, ^^^- '''• '^^'^^^ chestnut. 

the seeds of which are called Jecuit chestnuts (T. Pla- 
tans), and in India and Ceylon a closely allied one, 
the Singhara-nut plant (T. dispinosa), while in Lago 
Maggiore there is another ( T, verhanensis), but all may 
be varieties of one and the same species, including the 
Trapa Mcornis, a two-horned water chestnut, exten- 
sively used in China and Japan as food under various 
local names. In China they are called Ling, and of 
late years have been occasionally imported and sold, 
more as curiosities than for eating. These seeds or nuts 
are of a dark brown color, and of the form and size 
shown in Fig. 107, resembling, in miniature, the skull of 




284 THE :nut cultueist. 

an ox with abbreyiated horns. When fresh, the kernel 
is of an agreeable nutty flavor. 

Water chestjstut, or chiin^quaptk. — The seeds of 
the large yellow water lily {NelumMum luteum), a very 
common j^lant in small j)onds in the West and South, 
but more rare in the East. The seeds are about the size 
and shape of small acorns, and produced in a large, top- 
shaped, fleshy receptacle. They are edible, and are sup- 
posed to have been extensively used as food by the abo- 
rigines of this country. 



INDEX. 



Page 

Ackawai nxitmes 274 

Acorn 254 

Acrodiclidium camara 274 

lEsculus liippocastaiuxiu 268 

Agatliopliyllum aromaiicuin.. . 274 

Aleurites tiilo ba 259 

Almond 12 

bitter 34 

budding, bud in position. . . 28 

incision for bud 27 

buddiii g kn ite 24 

budding knife,Yankee 24 
prepared shoot of buds 26 

season for budding ... 22 

culture in California 17 

history of the 13 

insects and diseases 39 

Cercospora circumscissa 43 

Goes pulverulenta 52 

Scoly tus rngulosus 42 

Taphrina deformans 43 

orchard in California 18 

planting and jiruning .- 32 

propagation of the 19 

properties and uses of 39 

pruning 33 

liaising seedlings for stocks 20 

soil and exposure for the. . . 30 

varieties 34 

hard-shelled 35, 36 

large- fruited 37 

ornamental varieties. .. 38 

peach 37 

soft or brittle-shelled... 36 

sweet 40 

thin-shelled 37 

Amygdalus argentea 39 

Cochinchinensis 38 

communis amara 34 

dulcis 35 

fragilis 36 

macrocarpa 37 

persicoides 37 

incana 39 

nana 39 

orientalis 39 

Anacardium occidentale 260 

Apios tuberosa 267 

Arachis hypogsea 275 

Aralia trifolia 266 

Areca catechu. . , 256 



Page 

Atherosperma moschata 274 

Attalea f unifera 264 

Australian chestnut 255 

Australian hazelnut 256 

Aydendron tu juniary 274 

Beech , American 43 

Chile 48 

European 43 

evergreen 43 

history of 44 

injurious insects 52 

properties and uses 52 

propagation ot 47 

soil and locat ion for the.. . . 47 

species and varieties 48 

Beechnut 44 

leaf, bur and nut 51 

Ben nut 256 

Bertholletia excelsa 267 

Betel nut 256 

Bladder nut 257 

Brazil nut 257 

Brazilian nutmegs 273, 274 

Bread nut 258 

Brosimum alicastrum 258 

Buffalo nut 259 

Bunium buibocastanum 265 

Butternut 259, 280 

Byzantium nut 259 

California chestnut 55 

California nutmeg 275 

Calodendron Capense 259 

Candle nut 259 

Cape chestnut 259 

Caryocar nuciferum 280 

Caryotaxus nucif era 283 

Cashew nut 260 

Castanea chrysophylla var. 

m i nor 57 

Castanea chrysophylla var. 

pumila 57 

Castanea sempervirens 55 

Castanopsis 55 

bur.: 57 

chrysophylla 55 

leaves anil nuts 56 

Castanospermum Australe 255 

Caucasian walnut 261 

Chestnut 60 

budding 80 

diseases of the 116 



285 



286 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 



Page 
Chestnut, distance between 

trees 82 

European varieties of !>9 

Comfort DO 

Cooper UO 

Corson 100 

Dager 101 

Moncur 101 

Nunibo 102 

spines of 102 

Miller's Dupont 102 

Paragon 102 

bur 103 

nut 104 

spines of 103 

tree, four years old. 105 

Ridgely 104 

bur 106 

Scott 107 

Styer 108 

flowers 61 

French variety of tlie 108 

gathering and assorting 65 

grafting 71 

cleft 77 

growth of cion 78 

large trees 7i) 

materials 72 

nrodes of 75 

season for 71 

splice 75 

sprouts 79 

sitccess in 78 

wax 72 

history of the 62 

insects injurious to 113 

Balaninus carytripes. .. 113 

weevil 114 

Japan 109 

Advance 110 

Alpha Ill 

Beta Ill 

Early Reliance Ill 

Felton Ill 

Giant JIO, 111 

Killen •■■• 112 

Parsons 112 

Parry's Superb 112 

Success 112 

mulching- 82 

native varieties of the 94 

burless 94 

bush chinquapin 96 

eonunon chinquapin 97 

Fuller's chinquapin 97 

chinquapin burs 97 

chinquapin tree 98 

Hathaway 95 

Phillips 95 

planting 68 

in nursery rows 69 

propagation of the 64 

seedbed and soil for 67 

soil and climate for 83 

species of 86 

American 88 



Page 
Chestnttt, species btish chin- 
quapin 8t) 

Castanea A mericana 88 

Japc^nica 93 

nana 89 

pumila 90, 91 

sativa 91 

vesca 91 

Eitropean 91 

Japan 93 

leaf 92 

staking transplanted trees. 81 

stocks from the fores is 70 

transplanting and pruning. 80 

tises of II9 

Chile hazelnut ..268 

Chocolate nut or bean 261 

Clearing nut 262 

Clove n utmeg 274 

Cocoanut 262 

double 263 

Cocos luicif era 262 

Cola acuminata 264 

nut 264 

Coquito nut 264 

Coquilla nut 264 

Cream nut 265 

Crescentia cujete 269 

Cryptocarya inoschaia 274 

Cujumary beans 274 

Da wa nut 265 

Dimocarpus hnigana 271 

Earth nut 265 

chestntic 265 

Elk luit 265 

Euryale ferox 265 

Evergreen cliestnut 55 

Fagus ajitarc ica 48 

betuloitles 48 

ferruginea 48 

obliqna 48 

svlvatifa 48 

Fisticke luit 265 

Filbert or hazelnut 118 

Fox nttt 265 

Galeruca calmariensis 5 

Ginkgo biloba 265 

nut 265 

Goober 275 

Goora nut 264 

Gorgon nut 266 

Groundnut 266, 267, 275 

Guevina Avellana 2G8 

Guilandina bonduc 273 

bonduceila 273 

Hamiltonia oleifera 275 

Hazelnut or filbert 118 

American species of hazel.. 126 

beaked hazel 127 

Corylus Americana . 126 

Corylus rostrata 127 

Asiatic species of hazel 128 

C. ferox & heterophylla 128 

bligiit 138 

Cryptospora anomala... 139 
fungus , . . , 141 



IKDEX. 



287 



Page 

Hazelnut or lil her: , 128 

Eurupeaii species of — 127 
Cuiistciiitiiu)ple hazel 12i) 
Corvlus Avellana — 127 

Culuiiia 128 

tubulosa 130 

history of the til be it 120 

insects injurious to filberts. 145 
personal experience witli 

filberts 132 

planting and i^runing fil- 
berts 124 

propagation of the filbert.. 122 
soil, location, etc., for fil- 
berts 123 

varieties of filbert and ha- 
zel seedlings 135 

varieties extra large hazel 

seedling 13G 

varieties large filbi-rt 119 

large seedling hazelnut. 120 

select list of 130 

Alba or white filbert.. .. 130 
Cosford, or Miss Young's 

thin-shelled 130 

Crispa,or frizzled filbert 130 
Do Wilton, large square.. 130 
Grandis, or round cob- 
nut 131 

Lambert's filbert 130 

Purple-leaved filbert . .. 131 
red filbert, red hazel, etc 131 

Spanish filbert 132 

Horse-chestnut 268 

Hiclfory nuts 147 

age of fruiting tlie 193 

big bud. 160 

big shellbark 157 

bitter pecan 165 

bitternut 163, 164 

brown 162 

budding and grafting 183 

crown, on roots 189 

sprouts from roofs 190 

Carya aniara var. myristi- 

ceeforniis 165 

Carya olivseformis 155 

cultivation of tlie 177 

Hicoria pecan and syno- 
nyms 155 

Hicoria alba 155 

" " synonyms 157 

Hicoria aquatica 165 

«' " synonyms. 166 

Hicoria glabra 162 

" " synonyms. .. 164 

Hicoria laciniosa 157 

" " synonyms 159 

Hicoria minima 164 

" " synonyms.. 165 

Hicoria myrisficEeformis. .. 165 

Hicoria tomentosa . . 160 

'* " synonyms 162 

history of the .' — 148 

hognut 162 

Hlinois nut 155 



Page 
Hickory nuts, insect enemies 

of the 195 

American sillc worm.. .. 202 

Attacus luna 2()2 

belted chioii lUJ 

bud worm 2i)2 

burrows of scolytus 2i)U 

Calocaia 2()2 

Chion cinctus hJj 

Chramesus icoria.- 201 

Clisiocampa sylvatica.. "D'i 

Cyllene crinicornis US 

piclus 198 

robiniiie 19» 

Elaphidion inerme 199 

Goes, beautiful 199 

pulchra 199 

tiger 199 

tigrinus 199 

Grapholitha caryana . . . 201 

bark borer 199 

nut weevil 202 

shu<*l<; worm 201 

twig uirdler 196 

leaf miners 202 

leaf rollers 202 

locust borer 198 

luna moth 202 

Oncideres cingulatus. . . 196 

orange sawyer 199 

painted borer 198 

plant lice 202 

Scolvtus 4-si3inosus 199 

Sinoxvlon basilire 201 

Telea polvphemus 202 

tent caterpillar 202 

Tortricidai 201 

king nut 160 

moclver nut 160 

Pecan nut 155 

varieties of 167 

Alba 167 

Biloxi 167 

Colorado 169 

Columbian 167 

Early Texan 168 

Faust 168 

Frotscher 168 

Georgia Melon 168 

Gonzales 168 

Harcourl 168 

Idlewild 169 

Jewett 169 

Lady Finger 169 

large, long 167 

Little .Mobile 167 

Longfellow 168 

Pride of the Coast... 169 

Primate 1^^ 

Me.xican 169 

Meyers l"*^ 

Ribera 168 

Risien 169 

Stuart 169 

Turkey Egg 169 

Van Demaii 169 



288 



THE NUT CULTUKIST. 



Page 

Hickory nuts, pignut 162, 164 

planting for profit 194 

propagation ()f the 180 

shellbark or sliagbark 155 

'varieties of 170 

Hales' paper-shell. . . 172 

long hickory 173 

from Missoiiri 1 73 

Western, varieties of . . . 174 

Floyd pecan 177 

long 174 

Nussbaumer's 174-176 

species and varieties 224 

swamp hickoria 164, 165 

switch bud 162 

thick, or western shell- 
bark 157, 158 

white-heart 160 

Inocarpiis ediilis 282 

Introduction , 1 

Importat ion of nuts 8 

Imported nuts, value of 9 

Ita palm nut 271 

Ivory nnt 269 

Jesuit chestnuts 269, 283 

Jicara nut 269 

Juba nut — 270 

Jubsea spectabilis 264 

Juvia nut 258, 270 

Kipper nut 270 

Kola nut 264 

Laurelia sempervirens 275 

Lecythis Zabucajo 279 

Leechee nut 270 

Litchinut 270 

Lodoicea Sechellarum 263 

Longan 270 

Longyen 270 

Lous v nttt 271 

Maeadamia ternifolia.. 256 

Madagascar nutmeg 274 

Marking nut 271 

Mauritia flexuosa 271 

Miriti nut 271 

Miscellaneous nuts 254 

Monkey-pot nut 272 

Moreton Bay chestnuts 255 

Moringa optera 256 

pterygosperma 256 

Myristica f atua 273 

fragrans 273 

otoba 274 

sebifera 274 

Myrobalau nut 272 

Nectandy puchurv 274 

Nelumbium luteu'm 284 

Nephelium pinnatum 271 

Nepheliums 271 

Nickar nnt 272 

Nittar, or Nutta 273 

Nuces vel Poma Pinea 277 

Nutmeg 273 

Nutmeg hickory 165 

Nvssa capitata 282 

Oak nnt 254 

Oil nut 265, 275 



Pate 

Olea Americana 276 

Openawk 267 

Ophiocaryon paradoxum 28 > 

Paradise nui 275 

Parkia Africana 273 

Peanut 275 

Pekea nnt 275 

Peruvian nut 275 

nutmeg 274 

Phytelephas niacrocarpa 269 

Phvsic nut 276 

Pinang 256 

Pine nut 276 

Pinocchi 277 

Pinolas 277 

Pinon 277 

Piiuis cembroides 277 

edulis 277 

nionophylia 278 

Parry ana 277 

pinea 276 

Piper betel 256 

Pistacia Mexicana 278 

vera 278 

Pistacliio init 278 

Plum nutmeg 274 

Pterocarya fraxinifolia 261 

Puchurim beans 274 

Pyrularia oleifera 275 

Quandang nut 279 

Qudria lielerophylla 268 

Queensland nut •. 256 

Quercus virens 255 

Raffia, or Roffia 25 

Rambutan 270 

Salisburia adiantifolla 265 

Santalum acuminatum 279 

Sapncaia nut 279 

Sardis nut 63 

Sassafras nut 280 

Semecarpus anacai dium 271 

Singhara-nut plant 283 

Snake nut 280 

Souari nut 280 

South Sea cliestnnt 282 

Staphylea trifolia 257 

Stillingia sebifera 282 

Stinking nutmeg 275 

Strvchnos i^otatorum 262 

Tahitian chestnut 282 

Tallow nut 282 

Tavola nut 282 

Taxus nucifera 283 

Temperance nut 283 

Terminalia Catappa 272 

Theobroma cacao 261 

Torrey nut 283 

Torre va Californica 275 

nucifera 283 

Trapa bi cornls 283 

bispinosa 283 

r.atans 283 

verbanensis 283 

Walnut 203 

American 224 

black 232 



INDEX. 



289 



Pago 
Walnut, American black, in 

husk 232 

varieties of 233 

butternut 224 

sugar 227 

varieties of 225 

California 234 

Gary a catliartica 225 

Juglans Calif ornica 234 

catliartica 225 

cinerea 224 

hybi-ida 225 

obloiiga alba 225 

nigra 232 

nigra, luisk removed 233 

nigra oblonga 233 

rupestris 235 

New Mexico 235 

Texas 235 

"Wailia cinerea 225 

white 224 

budding and grafting 218 

flute 220 

history 203 

husking 250 

hybrids m California 227 

flowering branch of 228 

Jviglans Californica 229 

Sieboldiana 231, 237 

insect enemies of tlie 251 

Citlieronia regalis 252 

Regal Avalnut moth 252 

Jovis glans 203 

Juglans 203 

Oriental 236 

Juglans ailantifolia 237 

Camirium 236 

Catappa 236 

cordiformis 239 

Japonica 236 

Mandshurica 237 

Persian 204 

in America 209 



Pape 

Walnut, Persian, Bartliore 242 

Ciiaberte 242 

Chile 240, 242 

Chister 243 

Cut-U^aved 243 

English 240 

Franquette 243 

Frencli 240 

Gant, <u- Bijou 243 

Juglans regia 240 

regia octogona 245 

serotina 247 

Kaghazi 244 

Lartre-fr lilted Proei)ar- 

turiens 244 

Late Proeprtrturiens 244 

Late 247 

Madeira nut 240 

Mayette 245 

Mesange, or paper-shell 245 

Meylan 246 

Octogona 246 

Paris'ienne 246 

Proeparturiens 246 

Precocious 216 

Racemosa, or Spicata. . . 243 

Royal 240 

Small fruited 240 

St. John 247 

Variegated 248 

Vilmorin. . . 247 

Vourey 247 

AVeeping 248 

planting and pruning 223 

propagation of ^ 215 

seedling 216 

Water chestnvit 269, 283, 284 

chinquapin 284 

hickory 165 

Western cashew 260 

chinquapin 55 

Winged-seeded moringa 256 

Winged walnut 261 



19 



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Boating, Canoeing, and Sailing, 

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Architecture and Building, 

Landscape Gardening, 

Household and Miscellaneous. 



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